NIEHS Hazardous Waste Worker Health and Safety Training

The Worker Training Program, congressionally mandated under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) provides cooperative agreements and project grant support for the development, delivery, and administration of model worker h

Training activities aim to prevent and reduce work-related harm by equipping workers with the knowledge and practical skills needed to identify hazards and protect themselves, their coworkers, and surrounding communities from exposure to hazardous materials. Training for unemployed and underemployed workers to obtain environmental, hazardous waste and construction jobs in the environmental career worker training program is also included under this program. This program also enhances training capabilities for workers operating within Department of Energy (DOE) facilities and the nuclear weapons complex, where large numbers of employees are required to complete safety and health training due to the presence of complex and potentially unknown hazards. The program further seeks to build and sustain institutional competency within recipient organizations to develop and deliver high-quality, model health and safety training and education programs responsive to hazardous waste and material workforce needs and DOE-specific site conditions. A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is supported that focuses on the development, dissemination, and commercialization of health and safety training products and tools from a variety of delivery methods to assist both students and instructors in the training and education process including e-learning. Topics related to hazardous waste, including electronic and biological waste (infectious agents and organisms such as vector-borne, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic organisms) and occupational exposure to materials and work processes are within mission for these applications. Note that all products must be directly related to the health and safety training of workers, skilled support personnel, emergency responders and/or volunteers exposed to hazardous materials (HAZMAT). Examples include novel approaches and tools that build capacity and improve understanding of environmental health topics and innovation in e-Learning in worker education and training. NOTE: This program does not offer support through the STTR mechanism.

A public or private nonprofit entity, Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education), including tribal governments, that provide worker health and safety education and training, may submit an application and receive a cooperative agreement or project grant for support of waste worker education and training by a named principal investigator. Recipients/grantees may use services, as appropriate, of other public or private organizations necessary to develop, administer, or evaluate proposed worker training programs, as long as the requirement for awards to nonprofit organizations is not violated. Nonprofit organizations which are incorporated under 501(c)(4) are prohibited from receiving grants.

Any public or private entity providing worker safety and health education and training will benefit from this program.

Cooperative agreements and project grants are intended to support the direct costs of a project, in accordance with an approved budget, plus indirect costs at a pre-established rate. Both the award and use of funds are subject to applicable provisions of basic statutory authorities, appropriations acts, pertinent regulations, and operating policies of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Full program cooperative agreements may be awarded for up to 5 years, generally in 12-month budget periods.

The following factors considered for applications for full program cooperative agreements include: (1) Methods and techniques to be used for identifying, describing, and accessing target worker populations and anticipated impact of the proposed program; (2) evidence of the organization's performance and effectiveness in planning, implementing and operating appropriate worker health and safety training and education programs; (3) adequacy of the detailed program plan for curricula development, training of instructors, distribution of course materials, and direct student training; (4) technical and professional expertise of the proposed program director, present or proposed staff, and consultants; (5) methods proposed for evaluating appropriateness, quality, and effectiveness of training; (6) availability of appropriate facilities and equipment to support the described educational and training activities including hands-on instruction and demonstration; (7) evidence of the organization's past performance and effectiveness in planning, implementing, and operating training and education programs for workers; (8) the likelihood that the program will continue beyond the grant period; (9) reasonableness of the proposed program activities; and (10) multi-region impact.

As required in HHS Regulations, 42 CFR Part 65, applications will be reviewed administratively by NIEHS staff for completeness and responsiveness to the program announcement. Applications then will be reviewed on a competitive basis for technical merit by an ad hoc review committee composed primarily of non-government members with expertise in occupational safety and health training and hazardous waste operations convened by the NIEHS. A second level of review will be conducted by the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council. This second level of review will be for program relevance. The final approval of these recommendations and decisions concerning funding is made by the Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) or, if in conflict, by appropriate NIH staff. Formal award notices are sent to successful applicants.

From 8 to 9 months.

Renewal awards are subject to the same criteria as new applications.

A principal investigator (P.I.) may question the substantive or procedural aspects of the review of his/her application by communicating with the staff of the Institute. A description of the NIH Peer Review Appeal procedures is available on the NIH home page http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-11-064.html.