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New Construction Safety Center Takes Shape at KSC

KEENE, N.H. 4/5/02 Students in the Safety Center at Keene State College will be able to observe and participate in simulated construction practices and accidents, thanks to the latest in a series of donations to the Colleges safety degree program.

A $50,000 gift from the Liberty Mutual Group of Massachusetts has enabled the establishment of The Liberty Mutual Construction Safety Center, located within Butterfield Hall. The Center will house fall arrest systems and scaffolding, a confined space entry training gallery, a respiratory fit test station, a telescopic vision search device, and a classroom.

The Liberty Mutual Construction Safety Center is a timely addition to Keene States safety degree program, says Larry McDonald, associate professor of safety studies. Current statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health indicate that falls from scaffolding and ladders are the leading cause of fatal injury in the construction industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that confined spaces, such as storage tanks and underground utility vaults or the collapsed buildings of the World Trade Center are regarded as the most hazardous places in which to enter, work, and attempt rescues. The facilities in the construction safety center will provide our students with the best possible preparation for managing real-life construction safety situations, says McDonald.

Construction of the new center is the third phase of a project to upgrade safety management facilities at KSC. The first phase ended with the opening of the NGM Safety Center in 1999 and the second with the opening of the PSNH Safety Simulation Center in 2001.

According to Stanley J. Yarosewick, president of KSC, the addition of the Construction Safety Center will keep the Safety Center at Keene State at the forefront in preparing graduates for working in the safety profession.

Liberty Mutual is proud to be part of helping the Keene State College Safety Degree Program prepare students for careers in the safety profession, said Karl Jacobson, senior vice president. With the establishment of the Liberty Mutual Construction Safety Center at the College, students will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the management of construction- related safety hazards. Through the graduates of this program, Keene State and Liberty Mutual will help construction companies and their workers live safer, more secure lives.

A number of other organizations have made contributions to the Construction Safety Center. AngioLaz Inc. will provide the center with a telescopic vision device for use in simulated confined space entries and retrievals. A gift from Engelberth Construction will enable the center to install a respiratory fit test station. J.A. Wright & Co.s contribution will provide scaffolding for construction site simulations. MacMillin Companys contribution will provide equipment for fall protection training, and a gift from National Grange Mutual will provide a classroom in the new center.

Keene State offers New Englands only year-round program that awards a bachelors degree in safety studies, preparing students for careers as safety professionals with an emphasis in safety program management. Graduates of the KSC program work in nearly all 50 states and in several foreign countries with the greatest concentration in New England. For more information about the Liberty Mutual Construction Safety Center, contact Judy Kalich, director of advancement, at 603-358-2371.

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229 Main Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03435