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. 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 deliver Disaster Response Training to skilled construction workers who may be called on to support first responders in rescue, recovery and clean-up operations.
Our specific aims are: 1) directly train 1,815 instructors and workers in 110 courses over five years and partially support 4,800 additional Outreach instructors; 2) develop synergies between the other three NIEHS training components to increase the number of workers trained in our Disaster Response Training Programs; 3) strategically target metropolitan areas to develop a cadre of local skilled construction workers trained in disaster response; 4) continue to work with NIEHS, other grantees and the OSHA Training Institute to move training forward; and 5) evaluate all phases of the program.
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.
