"There is no better way to protect the health and safety of workers who are involved in our nation's emergency response and hazardous waste clean-up efforts than to provide them with the proper training and education," said NIEHS Director David A. Schwartz, M.D. "These awards will provide workers with the skills and knowledge they need to protect themselves, their communities, and our environment from exposure to hazardous materials."
Some of these awards are granted under the newly created Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program. The new program was developed in the aftermath of the World Trade Center Disaster, and is the result of the lessons learned by NIEHS-funded workers who participated in the subsequent clean-up of the affected area. These new awards will fund five training programs:
The grants will be administered by the NIEHS Worker Education and Training Program (WETP). "In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the importance of funding and supporting hazmat disaster preparedness training has never been clearer," said Chip Hughes, director of the WETP.
The following is a list of organizations that received grant awards for worker training programs:
In a separate action, NIEHS also will award an $863 thousand contract to MDB, Inc., a privately-owned communications and research consulting company, for the management of the Institute's National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training. The clearinghouse is the country's primary source for curricula, technical reports, and weekly news related to hazardous waste issues. More information on the National Clearinghouse is available at http://www.wetp.org/wetp .
Since the initiation of the Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program in 1987, NIEHS has funded a network of non-profit organizations that develop and deliver peer-reviewed educational materials to workers who are involved in handling hazardous waste or responding to releases of hazardous materials. During that time, more than 1.2 million workers have received NIEHS-supported worker safety and health training.
NIEHS, a component of the National Institutes of Health, supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health. For more information about worker training and other environmental health topics, please visit our website.