This application is being submitted by CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) in response to the request for application, RFA-ES-14-008, Hazardous Materials Worker Health and Safety Training (U45), for a Cooperative Agreement to support the development of model programs for the training and education of workers engaged in activities related to hazardous materials and waste generation, removal, containment, transportation and emergency response. CPWR is the 501(c)(3) non-profit construction safety and health research and training arm of the North America?s Building Trades Unions (BCTD) of the AFL-CIO, which represents 14 international/national building trades unions and over 3 million workers. CPWR submits this application in coordination and cooperation with a training consortium of 11 international/national building trades unions representing workers engaged in hazardous waste work at designated 1910.120 sites around the country and in other environmentally hazardous work assignments. These unions are listed in the Overall Specific Aims section of this Application. Our proposed program is national in scope, and our major objective is to prevent work-related harm by training construction workers in how best to protect themselves and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials encountered during hazardous waste operations, environmental restoration of contaminated facilities or chemical emergency response. In partnership with our 11 building trades union training consortium, our specific aims are: 1) train 9,715 students in 630 courses over five years; 2) continue rigorous evaluations of all training courses, to assess students, instructors, curriculum, and outcomes; 3) conduct train-the-trainer programs to continue to grow the pool of trainers available across the United States; and 4) continue training and education for current and veteran instructors.
The relevance of this proposal on public health is for the construction worker population to become a safer and healthier collective group. A safer, healthier construction worker collective population can reduce the number of injuries and fatalities to workers which bring hardship to their families, communities and employers.
