Whether a business operates in a seemingly benign office or in a warehouse with a plethora of chemicals and equipment, hazards can lurk beneath the surface. Learn how to tackle hazards assessments and mitigate risks with the Small Business Safety and Health Center’s quarterly lunch and learn entitled, “Hazard Analysis.” The event will be held Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gulf Coast Safety Institute.

Attendees will learn tools for conducting an effective hazards analysis and preventing workplace risks. The analysis can assist small business owners, managers and employees in avoiding one-time injuries and reducing illnesses that develop over time. It also saves time and can lower workers’ compensation costs.

“All small businesses should be knowledgeable about this topic,” said Gulf Coast Safety Institute director Cindy Lewis. “Then if OSHA visits, they have a hazards assessment ready.”

David Loyd, who serves as chief of the Safety and Test Operations Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, will teach this interactive lecture. Over the course of his career, Loyd has performed invitational assessments of safety and quality programs at six NASA centers and collaborated with industries such as the Shell Oil Co., Dow Chemical Co., Deloitte Development and ExxonMobil concerning high-consequence risk management, safety culture measurement and employee training strategies.

The Small Business Safety and Health Center is one of the four centers of the Gulf Coast Safety Institute of College of the Mainland. It focuses on providing the resources that small business owners, managers and supervisors need to succeed.

Lunch is included for those who RSVP by Feb. 10 to Guinn Sharpe at gsharpe@com.edu or at 409-933-8338. “Hazard Analysis” will be held at Room 112 of the Gulf Coast Safety Institute, 320 Delany Rd. in La Marque.

The Gulf Coast Safety Institute is located at College of the Mainland. Established in 2007, the institute focuses on providing safety and health education, training and outreach. For more information on the institute, contact Lewis at 409-933-8495 or clewis1@com.edu or visit www.com.edu/gcsi