? ? The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Education and Support Fund (ESF) and the contractors in its consortium, SEIU Local 1199 NY and the Shirley Ware Education Center (SWEC), are applying for a grant under the HWWTP for 5 years at a total cost of $4,229,261 and the HDPTP for 5 years at a total cost of $1,580,584. ? ? Through the unique access provided to the project by the national network of local unions in the 1.8-million member SEIU, the project proposes to prevent acute and chronic injury and illness among workers who are exposed to hazardous materials and wastes in nonintentional and intentional emergency situations. The project will accomplish this by training a total of 7400 workers in 8-hour awareness-level emergency response, 2900 workers in 4-hour awareness-level refreshers, 600workers in 4-hour hazard communication classes, 500 workers in 24-hour operations level training for confined space entry, and 640 workers in 24-hour hospital-based, operations level emergency response. The target population is employed in a wide range of jobs in acute-care hospitals, road maintenance, and waste water treatment. SEIU represents 375,000 workers in acute care hospitals, 10,000 in highway maintenance and 7,500 in waste water treatment. The target population is employed in 40 states but concentrated in California, New York, Maine, and New Hampshire. Training will be conducted by an existing team of 150 specially-trained rank-and-file worker-trainers. The project proposes to train an additional 96 worker-trainers during the 5-year period. Curricula designed specifically for worker-trainers, and appropriate to the technical knowledge of workers in these industries, have already been developed for the awareness-level training and the operations level training for confined space entry. Existing curriculum will be modified for use by worker-trainers for the 24-hour hospital-based operations level emergency response class. Project consortium staff will provide ongoing support for worker-trainers and will hold annual technical meetings for all worker-trainers. The project will also participate in an annual national multi-grantee conference and hold annual external advisory board meetings. ? ? ? Hazardous Waste worker Training Program (HWWTP) ? ?
Lippin, T M; Eckman, A; Calkin, K R et al. (2000) Empowerment-based health and safety training: evidence of workplace change from four industrial sectors. Am J Ind Med 38:697-706 |