The University of Alabama at Birmingham 's Center for Labor Education and Research, in its application for funding an EPA- HWWT cooperative agreement, will provide courses to four populations of workers who share the need for general and specialized training in topics related to 29 CFR 1910.120, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. The overall goal is to improve the health and safety of members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Native Americans, emergency health care providers and fire fighters, by helping them reduce exposures to hazardous chemicals. Classes include Hazardous Materials Awareness, Operations, and Technician, adapted for the four different training populations; Handling Contaminated Patients; Hazardous;SCBA Fit Testing; Air Surveillance in Chemical Emergency Incidents; Health Effects of Chemical Exposure; Confined Space Entry and Rescue, Hazardous Waste Handling; and Worker Training Methods. Classes will be taught in train-the-trainer mode, and materials provided for workplace training by the participants and for outreach to their respective communities. The four target populations have in common their potential for exposures to chemicals, training budgets that are inadequate or nonexistent, and job- and finance- related restrictions on extensive travel for training. CWA workers in manufacturing, product distribution and service, health care, printing and publishing, and numerous crafts will have regional classes throughout the United States, as will members of all 557 federally-recognized Native American tribes. Indian law enforcement officers, fire fighters, highway and hospital workers, emergency planners, natural resource personnel, environmental planners, and search-and-rescue units will be trained in safe Awareness Level response and Incident Management in classes coordinated through cooperation with the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society. In the southeastern United States, emergency room personnel will be trained to handle contaminated patients; surveys show most are unprepared for this problem and are in violation of the regulations of several agencies, including OSHA 1910.120. Because fire fighters have increased risk of diseases shown to be related to the inhalation of chemicals and smoke, they will be trained in toxicology, fit testing, air monitoring, and rescue from confined spaces with hazardous atmospheres. Computer-based asynchronous training will be utilized to achieve some of the objectives, and this method formally compared with traditional training. Professional safety and health trainers will develop and deliver all training using curricula developed and piloted under previous cooperative agreements. Total number of trainees will exceed 20,000, with tribal peer trainees and community outreach participants not included in the estimate. The total proposed cost of the five- year project is 3,296,947 dollars.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Hazardous Waste Worker Health and Safety Training Cooperative Agreements (NIEHS) (U45)
Project #
5U45ES006155-12
Application #
6654458
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZES1-MAO-D (U9))
Program Officer
Beard, Sharon
Project Start
1992-09-16
Project End
2005-08-31
Budget Start
2003-09-01
Budget End
2004-08-31
Support Year
12
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$512,615
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Alabama Birmingham
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
063690705
City
Birmingham
State
AL
Country
United States
Zip Code
35294
Mukherjee, S; Overman, L; Leviton, L et al. (2000) Evaluation of worker safety and health training. Am J Ind Med 38:155-63