Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

GDC & Wiregrass Georgia TC Partner on OSHA Courses

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections recently partnered with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (WGTC) to provide an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Construction Training program for 24 residents of Valdosta Transitional Center (TC) in Valdosta, Ga.  The voluntary program is taught by WGTC instructors, and provides residents with the opportunity to earn OSHA cards.

“Completing programming while incarcerated helps offenders become more employable when released,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier. “Earning an OSHA card will, no doubt, give these residents a head start on becoming productive citizens once returning to their communities.”

The OSHA program allows students to earn their OSHA 10 and/or OSHA 30 cards in General Industry as well as Construction Safety and Health. The 10-hour training program is intended for entry-level workers and is focused on general hazard awareness. The 30-hour training program is for management level employees with the direct responsibility for safety of a location or the safety of other employees. Students must be screened by GDC staff and must meet the following requirements: eligible for release, have no disciplinary reports, ability to read and write, English as primary language, and must attend 100 percent of the class to earn credit.

The GDC, in partnership with WGTC,  began offering the first OSHA classes in July 2016 at Patten Probation Detention Center and Valdosta TC. In Fiscal Year 2018, approximately 2,000 students will complete the General Industry 10-hour curriculum, around 400 students will complete the Construction 10-hour class, and approximately 50 students will complete the 30-hour Construction course.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC)

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.

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