MINNEAPOLIS — An updated course on facility design and planning, together with two other courses from the Grain Elevator and Processing Society and Kansas State University, are open for registration.

The online courses run from May 26 until June 26. Registration is open to anyone — the courses are not restricted to GEAPs members or K.S.U. students.

Seven new instructors will be teaching GEAPS 511: Grain Facilities Planning and Design II. New content “reflects current industry standards and best practices,” GEAPS said. The advanced course offers a practical, real-world foundation for grain industry operations professionals tasked with helping plan and design grain facilities. Topics covered in the course include site selection, rail planning, safety, security, roofing and storage.

A second course is focused on creating and maintaining a culture of safety. GEAPS 541: Developing an Effective Safety Culture helps students understand the concept of safety cultures, ways to evaluate their company and how safety affects a facility’s profitability. Evaluation of the return on investment of safety programs is part of the coursework as are evaluating the elements of strong safety cultures and an understanding of tools to help reshape reshaping attitudes and promoting employee buy-in.

The third course to begin in May is part two of a three course series on materials handling. GEAPS 551: Materials Handling II teaches principles of dry bulk material flow, material properties and characteristics, components and selection of equipment and other considerations.

The safety and material handling courses are both requirements for the Specialist Credentials program introduced by GEAPS.

Registration for the courses are open until Tuesday, May 19.

Tuition for GEAPS/K-State continuing education courses is $640 for GEAPS members and $815 for non-members.