The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and the National Labor College (NLC) are applying as a consortium for funding under the DOE Worker Training Grant. The total cost of the training program over a 5 year period is $4,308,271. The long term goal of the program is to increase worker and community safety, protect DOE facilities and protect transportation infrastructure during the remediation of DOE sites and the transportation of radioactive waste and hazardous waste. The IBT-NLC consortium will use established partnerships with major trucking and rail unions, and established relationships with 8 DOE Facilities (Hanford DOE Site, Nevada Test Site, Savannah River DOE Site, Oak Ridge DOE Site, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, DOE Mound Site, UMTRA Site, St. Louis Airport DOE Site). The consortium proposes to train 13,900 workers over 5 years. The target population for the training are: 1) remediation site workers and supervisors at DOE sites;2) construction workers and supervisors involved in the remediation of DOE facilities, including drivers of off road and waste haul vehicles;3) truck transportation workers and supervisors involved in the transportation of chemical and radioactive waste from DOE facilities;4) railroad workers and supervisors involved in the transportation of radioactive waste and hazardous waste from DOE facilities. The IBT-NLC consortium will deliver the following courses that meet DOE, OSHA and DOT requirements: HazWaste Worker, HazWaste Refresher, Emergency Response, HazMat Safety and Security, Radioactive Materials Transportation, Construction Safety, General Industry Safety, Respiratory Protection, Respiratory Protection Refresher, Forklift Safety, Load Securement. The curricula will include information that will enable DOE site workers to protect themselves while working on DOE LEED certified projects. The Consortium will deliver training through 7 fully equipped training centers and NLC facilities and provide instructors to present training at DOE sites and local unions. Training will emphasize participatory adult teaching techniques;include significant time for hands-on activities and simulated work site activities. All training will comply with the NIEHS Minimum Criteria for Worker Training as well as CFR (DOE) 851. The IBT-NLC will provide safety/health training to workers who handle hazmat and radiological waste. The workers will have the skills to safely remove hazwaste and radiological waste from DOE sites, thereby minimizing the risk of contamination for workers, the community and environment. The training provides workers with the ability to react to an unexpected release of hazmat and rad waste, take appropriate actions, and limit the contamination of surrounding communities and the environment.
