Completed entirely online.

Course Overview

Who Should take this course?

This Ethylene Oxide Awareness course provides a general awareness of the risks and the regulatory requirements for protecting employees who work with ethylene oxide, as required by OSHA.

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is used extensively by hospitals and other industries as a sterilizing agent. It is also used for making many consumer products as well as non-consumer chemicals and intermediates. EtO is a colorless, odorless gas, which is both flammable and highly reactive. You cannot smell EtO until it reaches levels that can cause serious harm to human health. Studies show that EtO can be hazardous to human health. Short-term exposures can cause respiratory irritation and lung injury, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Long-term exposure may cause cancer, reproductive effects, genetic changes, and damage to the nervous system.

Objectives

 

The objective of this Ethylene Oxide Awareness course is to provide a general awareness of the risks and the regulatory requirements for protecting employees who work with ethylene oxide, as required by OSHA.

The course will also introduce students to the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations for ethylene oxide, Subpart Z, Toxic and Hazardous Substances - 29 CFR 1910.1047

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Explain what ethylene oxide is;
  • Identify where workers may encounter ethylene oxide;
  • Describe hazards and health effects of ethylene oxide exposure;
  • Understand the essentials of OSHA’s ethylene oxide standard;
  • Identify and describe OSHA methods of compliance to prevent ethylene oxide exposure; and
  • Understand the requirements for medical surveillance and hazard communication.

Topics

This fully narrated course is built for success and includes interactions, exercises, and knowledge checks intended to prepare students for the final exam. Students must answer each knowledge check and complete each interaction in order to proceed.

Course Sections

This course consists of 1 module broken down into 3 sections. Students are required to take each section in sequential order as listed below.

Course Modules, Sections, and Exams
ModuleSection / Topic
Module 1
Section 1 - Course Overview
Section 2 - Introduction to Ethlyene Oxide in the Workplace
Section 3 - Limiting Exposure to Ethylene Oxide
Final Exam

Exams

This course has one final exam based upon the material in the 3 course sections.

The exam consists of 10 questions selected at random from a larger pool of questions. A score of 70% or better is required to pass each exam. Students who do not pass the exam the first time may retake it as many times as necessary in order to pass.

Training Requirements

Each employee covered by the Ethylene Oxide Standard must be trained to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least the following:

  • Methods and observations that may be used to detect the presence or release of ethylene oxide in the work area (such as monitoring conducted by the employer, continuous monitoring devices, etc.);
  • The physical and health hazards of ethylene oxide;
  • The measures employees can take to protect themselves from hazards associated with ethylene oxide exposure, including specific procedures the employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure to ethylene oxide, such as work practices, emergency procedures, and personal protective equipment to be used; and
  • The details of the hazard communication program developed by the employer, including an explanation of the labeling system and how employees can obtain and use the appropriate hazard information.

Additionally, workers must receive training, when required by OSHA standards, on the specific hazards of their job. Training providers should be used to ensure credibility and augment a company’s training program. Therefore, in addition to the training provided by an outside party, a student should receive site-specific training supplied by their employer. This training should target the company’s unique approach to hazard prevention, including the use of site-specific equipment, health and safety policies, and emergency procedures. As a rule, this company-specific training should be well documented.

Mobile Version

 

We're excited to announce that this course is now available in HTML 5, making it more compatible with the browser on your mobile device (e.g., smartphone or tablet). This course requires only the most recent version of your mobile device's web browser.

Tablet Pros and Cons

Mobile versions of this sort of training are new, but below are some Pros and Cons that we have noticed during our extensive testing.

Pros

  • No computer needed
  • Tablet mobility
  • Tablet screen graphics

Cons

  • Smartphone screens can be too small to see
  • Mobile browsers react differently than computer browsers
  • Phone calls can interrupt training

During our testing we really noticed that tablets work much better than smartphones, simply due to their screen size.

Growing Pains

Because this is a Beta Version of our course, you may encounter some issues as we work out the kinks.

Your Mobile Browser

While HTML5 makes taking this course on mobile devices possible, not all mobile browsers are optimized for HTML5, meaning you may not have complete functionality. If you have difficulty taking this course using the browser on your mobile device, you may need to use a different browser.

Test the functionality of your browser using HTML5 and compare it to the performance of other browsers. If you find other browsers are more compatible than your own, you may want to make the switch.

FAQ

Below are some frequently asked questions specific to this course.

Q - How long will this course take to complete?

Our courses are set up to take a specific amount of time. Some students may get through the training more quickly, while others may actually take longer to complete their training. Remember, this training should be used as an intricate tool in the context of an overall training program; it can be combined with other training throughout the year in order to meet any hour requirements needed.


Q - How long do I have to start a course once enrolled?

Students have 12 months to start their training from the time they enroll in an online course.


Q - How long do I have to complete a course once started?

Take up to 12 months to complete your online training, at your own pace and schedule.


Q - Do I have to finish the course in one sitting?

No, our courses are designed so you can start and stop as needed, allowing you to break the training up over a longer period of time. Our system will keep track of your progress, enabling you to resume where you left off upon your next login. It is important that once you start a section, you complete that section or you will need to start that section over from the beginning upon your return.


Q - Can I take the course from more than one computer?

Yes, you can take the online portion by signing in with your username and password from any location and computer with high-speed internet access. However, each computer does need to meet our basic system requirements for viewing our online courses.


Q - Will I receive a certificate for this course?

Yes, once you have completed a course, you are able to download, save or print a certificate of completion from your student account. Certificates are created in a pdf format. Users must have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader before attempting to download the completion certificate.