OTA Institute: Situational Awareness & Personal Safety in the Workplace and on the Road

Description

On April 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the OTA will host Situational Awareness & Personal Safety in the Workplace and on the Road at the OTA Training Center in Westerville. This full-day training, led by Dan Katt of Katt Safety Services, LLC, strengthens everyday safety decision-making for employees who operate in variable, real-world environments—at terminals, customer sites, on deliveries, during roadside breakdowns, and in public-facing interactions.

Participants will learn how to recognize developing risks early, manage uncertainty, and apply practical countermeasures that help reduce injuries, assaults, and near-miss incidents. Through real-world examples and scenario-based discussions, attendees will gain tools to improve situational awareness, enhance personal safety on the road and in the workplace, and support a stronger, more proactive safety culture.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain situational awareness as a practical skill set and apply it consistently on the job
• Identify pre-incident indicators and abnormal conditions during routine operations
• Use a simple decision-making model to choose safer actions under time pressure
• Apply personal safety strategies during roadside stops, breakdowns, customer-site work, and confrontations
• Improve workplace hazard awareness, including slip/trip/fall risks, line-of-fire exposure, and pinch points
• Strengthen near-miss and hazard reporting to support a proactive safety culture

Key Topics Covered:

• Situational awareness fundamentals: attention, scanning, and threat recognition
• Roadside realities and high-risk moments for drivers
• De-escalation basics for public-facing encounters
• Workplace hazard recognition and high-frequency injury drivers
• Scenario-based decision-making exercises for drivers and supervisors

Take-Home Tools:

• Situational awareness field card for pre-shift and on-road use
• Scenario-based decision checklists
• Practical near-miss and hazard reporting prompts for supervisors

A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. The training costs $199 for OTA members and $399 for non-members.

Schedule: 
8:30AM          Session Begins
12:00PM        Lunch
4:00PM          Session Concludes 

About the Trainer:
Dan Katt is a veteran safety and security professional with more than 45 years of experience spanning law enforcement, accident investigation, corporate risk management, and safety consulting. He spent 27 years with the Cincinnati Police Department, specializing in traffic safety, fatal crash investigation, and instructor-led training. Dan also served for 20 years as Corporate Loss Control Manager for Rumpke Waste & Recycling, where he led accident investigations, safety audits, litigation support, and multi-state employee training programs. Throughout his career, he has instructed more than 1,000 participants and served as a trusted liaison between private industry, law enforcement, and regulatory agencies. Dan is the President of Katt Safety Services, LLC, providing safety, security, and compliance training to organizations across the Midwest. He is widely respected for his practical, real-world approach to risk reduction, incident response, and workforce safety education.

Refund Policy:
Our refund policy is as follows:

• You will receive a 100% refund if you cancel more than 10 days before the training.
• You will receive a 75% refund if you cancel more than 3 days before the training.
• You will receive no refund if you cancel less than 3 days before the training.
• No shows are responsible for 100% of the registration fees.