Texas Mutual Insurance Company has awarded a $100,000 grant to Odessa College to fund workplace safety courses for employers, workers and the general public. Texas Mutual — the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance — began this commitment to safety education at state colleges 20 years ago and has since awarded $7.6 million in safety education grants.
The $100,000 grant check to Odessa College was presented to President Gregory D. Williams and Associate Dean of Continuing Education Louis Gonzales at a campus ceremony on May 9 attended by faculty, students and community leaders. Bob Barnes, board member and immediate past chair of Texas Mutual’s board of directors, and Eric Bourquin, vice president of safety services at Texas Mutual, presented the check.
“Odessa College is grateful for the ability to provide safety education to our students, staff and community,” Gonzales said. “Thanks to Texas Mutual’s demonstrated generosity, this will allow us to better educate and share additional resources with those in the Odessa area and beyond as we strive to create safer workplaces.”
Since 1999, more than 30,000 students have attended Texas Mutual’s free safety institutes offered at various Texas colleges.
Odessa College is currently introducing its safety classes to increase awareness of workplace safety practices, provide training and strengthen the overall safety knowledge of local businesses in order to reduce employee accidents and injuries.
“Investing in safety education across the state is part of our mission to keep employees safe and healthy at work,” Bourquin said. “We are happy to partner with Odessa College to bring useful safety training to their students, staff and the community. This new safety institute, along with many other company initiatives, demonstrates our commitment to creating a stronger, safer Texas.”
For more information about the Odessa College safety institute, contact the Continuing Education department at 335-6575.
