Office of Extramural Programs

Listing of Training Grant Announcements

Education and Research Centers (ERC)

Through university-based Education and Research Centers (ERCs), NIOSH supports academic degree programs and research training opportunities in the core areas of industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational safety, plus specialized areas relevant to the occupational safety and health field. In addition to the academic training programs, NIOSH supports ERC short-term continuing education (CE) programs for occupational safety and health professionals, and others with worker safety and health responsibilities. A current CE course schedule for all NIOSH Education and Research Centers can be accessed at the NIOSH ERC Web site http://www.niosh-erc.org/, or by contacting the NIOSH 800-number 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674), or the NIOSH Publications Office.

NIOSH Education and Research Centers

NIOSH ERC Continuing Education Directors

Training Project Grants (TPG)

Training Projects Grants are supported by NIOSH at academic institutions that primarily provide single-discipline graduate training in the industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, occupational safety, and closely related occupational safety and health fields.

NIOSH Training Project Grants

Hazardous Substance Training Programs

Introduction

In 1988, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) entered into an Interagency Agreement with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to conduct a continuing education program in hazardous substance training. The authority for this program is established in Section 311 (a)(1)(B) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 as amended by Section 209 of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986. In 1993, the program was expanded to include graduate academic training to further meet the needs of professional personnel. This program is being conducted through supplemental training grants to the NIOSH Education and Research Centers (ERCs). The NIEHS Superfund Basic Research Program (http://www-apps.niehs.nih.gov/sbrp/) provides financial support for this program.

Target Audience

As specified in SARA, the target audience is as follows:

1. State and local health and environmental agency personnel, and,
2. Other professionals engaged in the management of hazardous substances.

The training is intended to prepare professional personnel to properly carry out their responsibilities in the hazardous substance response and site remediation activities authorized by SARA. This workforce is in continuing need of training through continuing education courses as well as more intensive academic coursework with specialization in the occupational and environmental health and safety field.

Hazardous Substance Continuing Education Program (HST)

This program is a component of the continuing education program within the ERCs and includes the following elements:

• Coordination of training activities with Agencies responsible for cleanup, enforcement, and training of personnel under CERCLA/SARA and other relevant groups;
  
  
• A specific plan to develop and implement a program of instruction over the approved project period;
  
  
• A Project Director with demonstrated capacity for providing leadership in conducting training in the handling, managing, or evaluation of hazardous substances, and with education and/or experience in the hazardous substance field;
  
  
• A project staff with demonstrated experience and technical expertise to develop the curricula and provide quality training;
  
  
• The implementation of short courses and continuing education programs for State, and local health and environmental professionals and other professionals involved in evaluating, managing and handling hazardous substances; and
  
  
• Evaluation of the program that shall include a determination of whether the regional needs for training professionals are being met.

Hazardous Substance Academic Traing Program (HSAT)

The purpose of this program is to offer a series of academic courses to prepare occupational safety and health professionals for practice, with a specialization in hazardous substances. The intent is to provide a concentration in the hazardous substance field within the academic curriculum. A 3-year developmental period was provided to include a needs assessment, curriculum development, and program implementation. The program is intended to be a specialty area within the existing ERC Industrial Hygiene core programs.

The program components include:

• A needs assessment directed to the overall contribution of the training program toward meeting the job market for qualified state, local and other professional personnel;
  
  
• A training plan to satisfy the regional needs for training;
  
  
• A formalized curriculum which includes minimum coursework toward achievement of a degree, training objectives, course descriptions, course content, and didactic and field experiences;
  
  
• A competent and experienced Program Director and staff; and
  
  
• A plan to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the training.
  

Listing of HST/HSAT Program Directors

Emergency Responder Training Program

The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) implements a comprehensive nationwide Emergency Responder Training Program for fire fighters, paramedics and other first responders employed in 26,354 fire departments across the United States. Data from the National Fire Protection Association indicate that in the year 2000, 84,500 firefighters were injured while on duty from exposure to toxic fire products, chemicals and radiation. Thousands more responders are exposed to toxic materials that increase their long-term risk for cancer, respiratory diseases, leukemia and other diseases.

This project is supported by NIOSH through a cooperative agreement which began in FY 2002. The objectives of the program include:

• Conducting hazardous materials training programs at the first responder level to meet the training needs of emergency responders;
  
  
• Conducting instructor workshops to provide specialized training of new instructors and continuing education for current instructors;
  
  
• Conducting focused analysis to identify hazardous materials risk-based needs topology at the local level;
  
  
• Continuous updating of the First Responder Training Program;
  
  
• Expanding marketing and outreach efforts using a variety of media in order to meet the needs of the broad spectrum of potential first responders to hazardous incidents;
  
  
• Maintaining high program quality and efficiency through the implementation of a fully integrated Quality Assurance effort;
  
  
• Expanding efforts to identify, describe, and disseminate information regarding positive impacts of first responder training on worker health and safety, using a range of program evaluation methods.

The training program strongly emphasizes occupational health and safety as part of the plan. The Recruit Training Initiative (RTI) is a primary focus of the training effort, providing training to new recruits nationwide as well as in the New York City and Washington metro regions following the terrorism attacks. Overall, the IAFF trains over 5,000 firefighters annually in approximately 165 courses. The world-wide web is integrated into classroom learning, providing case study materials, modules and interactive learning techniques.

Contact Information:

Scott Solomon, Director
IAFF HazMat Training Department
1750 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
E-mail: SSolomon@iaff.org