Department of Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health

Within a few years after graduation, the program graduates working as Occupational Safety professionals will demonstrate abilities to:

1. Apply knowledge and principles of mathematics, science, technology in the anticipation, recognition, and evaluation of conditions and practices in the work environment, and for the development of hazard prevention and control strategies.
2. Employ knowledge and principles of management, business, and behavioral sciences in the selection, implementation and administration of programs and procedures for hazard prevention and control.
3. Identify and apply relevant safety and health standards, laws, regulations, and best industry practices to occupational safety functions in the local, national or global context, as applicable.
4. Effectively communicate with diverse stakeholders, including management, workers, consumers, neighbors, and the public, to support occupational safety and health initiatives.
5. Continue their professional growth and the integration of new knowledge into their profession, and demonstrate ethical, societal, and professional responsibility.

Students graduating from the UW-Whitewater Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety program will demonstrate:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve broadly defined technical or scientific problems by applying knowledge of mathematics and science and/or technical topics to areas relevant to the discipline.
2. An ability to formulate or design a system, process, procedure or program to meet desired needs.
3. An ability to develop and conduct experiments or test hypotheses, analyze and interpret data and use scientific judgment to draw conclusions.
4. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
5. An ability to understand ethical and professional responsibilities and the impact of technical and/or scientific solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
6. An ability to function effectively on teams that establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, and analyze risk and uncertainty.

Furthermore, students graduating from the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety Program will have curriculum that covers the following:

1. Anticipation recognition, evaluation, and control of hazards and exposures impacting people, property and the environment.
2. Principles and practices of risk management and business justification
3. Development of policies, procedures, and systems using research and evidence- based data.
4. Legal principles relevant to safety profession
5. Root cause analysis, incident investigation, and acceptable risk causation and relative risk.
6. Safety data analysis, interpretation and utilization of statistical and epidemiological principles; and trends of injuries, illnesses and workplace incidents.
7. Principles and practices of continuous quality improvement and sustainable safety programs and management systems.
8. Applications of adult learning theory and behavior change to safety and health training methodology
9. Leadership and organizational behavior.
10. Culminating senior project/capstone