Anthony Yost, of Fairmont, was recently awarded the Harold M. Gordon Hazard Control Management Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship recognizes students studying in West Virginia University’s safety management program who have exemplified academic success throughout the program. Yost completed his degree in safety management in May 2013.

Yost, who earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from WVU in 2011, first became interested in safety management when he enrolled in a construction safety class as an undergraduate and later as an employee for Petrucci Brothers General Contracting.

“I became aware of the seriousness of many hazards I had seen while working in residential construction,” Yost said. “I also became aware of hazards I had been exposed to but had never realized to be unsafe.”

Yost pointed out the hazards to his employer, who then invited him to participate in a small safety program, which consisted of a brief safety talk each Monday prior to the start of work.

The following summer, Yost returned to Petrucci Brothers as a safety intern.

“The company was in the process of developing a voluntary protection program, and I was invited to help in its creation,” Yost said. “I worked with a representative of the state of West Virginia’s Division of Labor to improve the company’s safety plan in the areas of hazard communication, lockout/tagout and fall protection.”

The scholarship, which was established by the International Board for the Certification of Safety Managers, honors Harold M. Gordon. Gordon established the certified hazard control manager credential in 1976 and served as the executive director of the Board of Hazard Control Management until his retirement in 2007.

-WVU-

mcd/07/31/13

CONTACT: Mary Dillon, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304.293.4086, mary.dillon@mail.wvu.edu

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