Chicago-based OAI, inc., the only community-based organization among NIEHS HWWT awardees, proposes to expand its health and safety training program which targets three underrepresented worker populations: 1) Largely rural and volunteer Emergency First Responders whose departments lack resources and equipment for adequate training 2) Transitional and Temporary Workers, many of whom are high-school dropouts or re-entering the workforce following incarceration or homelessness, and 3) Non-Union Workers, including Hispanic environmental cleanup workers in Louisiana and Vietnamese nail salon workers in five states. The OAI Consortium, led by Principal Investigator Tipawan Reed since 1995, comprises partners representing target populations in 19 states. Significance: The proposed preventative interventions center on providing training to and protecting the health and safety of the above worker populations that are disproportionately affected by exposures to occupational hazards. Approach: The Consortium?s approach is based on implementation of successful training strategies that have been developed and refined over the past 19 years. Deployment of the Train-the-Trainer (TtT) is a key strategy that has the following multiple benefits: 1) extending the reach of training through the multiplier effect 2) building local training capacity among Consortium partners, and 3) achieving training program sustainability. OAI?s TtT Methodology course integrates innovative components including Behavioral Health & Resiliency, Cultural Competency and application of the Social Ecological Model (SEM), and the 3Rs (reduction, reuse, and recycling) to reinforce the benefits of using resources efficiently. As demonstrated through successful partnerships in the state of Kentucky and nationwide through YouthBuild USA, developing local training capacity generates cohorts of peer trainers who are culturally competent, familiar with resources in their areas, and capable of customizing training and conveying critical health and safety information to their audience. Innovation: OAI will continue to apply the Social Ecological Model (SEM) as an innovative evaluation approach which examines the impact of training not only on participants? work activities, but also on activities outside the workplace. A new innovative study will assess economic benefits of the training by eliciting information from trainees on how OAI training increased their likelihood of 1) avoiding workplace injuries or hazardous exposures and 2) reacting effectively to an actual workplace emergency. Environment: OAI WTP has successfully built an environment conducive to cooperation among its consortia members through ongoing technical assistance, resource leveraging, and capacity building efforts. The program has invested in classroom and hands-on training facilities and an array of instructional resources, which can be accessed by consortium trainers and personnel throughout the five-year grant period.
