GARY, INDIANA – A construction safety expert from The Pangere Corporation, a commercial and industrial contractor based in Gary, has been volunteering their time to educate Purdue University Northwest (PNW) students about OSHA standards and best practices on the jobsite.

As part of the Northwest Indiana Business Round Table’s (NWIBRT) “Train When it Rains” program, students from PNW’s Construction Science and Organizational Leadership department have been working closely with industry professionals on a special project to develop safety training materials. These projects will culminate with students presenting their training materials to NWIBRT members – many of whom are also experts in jobsite safety.

Don Hancock, safety coordinator with The Pangere Corporation, has been working with students over the last few weeks. This is the second time his department has worked with PNW students on safety education projects.

“Our assignment is to help a group of students put together a presentation on the topics of ‘struck by’ and ‘caught between,' which are both categories of workplace incidents,” said Hancock. “The students are limited in their knowledge of field hazards and standards, so we’re always careful not to lead their projects but instead point them in the right direction for research materials. I like to give them some clues, like using OSHA’s letters of interpretation as a great resource for specific examples and definitions.”

Shoji Nakayama, associate professor with PNW’s Department of Construction Science and Organizational Leadership, said, “The real-world experience brought to our students from professional contractors like Don provides valuable perspectives the students will carry forward into their careers. We’re proud to deliver these kinds of lessons to our students.”

“Our company is founded on constant lifelong learning and improvement, and we’re proud of the willingness of our people to donate their time to share what they’ve learned,” said President Steve Pangere. “We’re very pro education.”