Pines Talks Safety

Welcome! If you have questions related to occupational safety and health, ask them in the comments here and Pines will answer them. Posts here will be crossposted to Pine’s Bluesky account.

Who is Pines? Pines is a middle-aged occupational safety and health professional with a heap of certifications and more on the way.

Current certifications and training include:

• OSHA 30hr
• OSHA #511 Course (General Industry Standards)
• OSHA #7410 Course (Managing Excavations/Trenching)
• Powered Industrial Truck Trainer
• Mobile Elevated Work Platform Trainer
• Defensive Driving Trainer
• OSHA 24hr HAZWOPER Emergency Response Technician Level III (Initial)
• EPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Management

Pending certifications and training include First Aid/CPR/AED Trainer, Hydrogen Sulfide Trainer, OSHA #2255 Course (Principles of Ergonomics), OSHA #501 Course (Trainer Course in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for General Industry), and more.

If you have questions, comments, or gripes about any of these topics, drop them in the comments section below and Pines’ll make a post responding to them.

Thanks for stopping by!

• When is my employer supposed to cover the cost of PPE?
  by Pines
  November 24, 2025
  This one will warrant a little background, specifically with regard to how hazards are managed in occupational contexts. The most obvious first step is for the employer to assess their processes to determine if there are hazards to workers. Hazards come in a variety of forms, including mechanical (caught-in, struck-by, etc.), chemical (corrosives, flammables, etc.), …
• I’m interested in getting into safety as a career. Is it hard?
  by Pines
  November 21, 2025
  Good question! It’s really not that difficult, but there are some barriers. The easiest way to take a step toward a career in safety in the U.S. is to take an OSHA outreach course. Depending on the training provider you go with, the price tends to be around $80.00 for the OSHA 10-Hour General Industry …