Hazardous Materials Worker Healthand Safety Training (U45)

Project Summary/Abstract The overall goal of the Western Region Universities Consortium (WRUC) training program is to protect workers and communities from exposure to hazardous materials and hazardous waste; to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies/disasters; and to create pathways to careers in the environmental field and construction industry. WRUC programs are delivered in EPA Regions IX and X through the UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH) as the lead institution, UC Berkeley’s Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP), Arizona State University’s Fulton Schools of Engineering, Environmental & Resource Management Program (ASU), and the University of Washington Department of Sociology (UW). The Consortium has developed model programs since 1987 and will continue to do so in the coming five years through three NIEHS components: Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program (HWWTP), Hazard Disaster Preparedness Training Program (HDPTP) and Environmental Career Worker Training Program (ECWTP). WRUC will train 3,763 workers and community members per year in 301 courses for a total of 41,668 contact hours. Courses address hazards to workers in hazardous waste cleanup and hazmat treatment, storage, transport and disposal operations; promote biosafety preparedness among healthcare workers; strengthen emergency response, disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities; and provide job readiness and life skills. WRUC will expand outreach to disadvantaged populations; respond to new and emerging hazards; build capacity to sustain training activities, safety and emergency response programs; and support a national network of HAZWOPER trainers and emergency responders. 1) HWWTP activities will reach 2,033 hazardous materials and waste workers and supervisors throughout the region per year and strengthen emergency response capacity among remote tribal groups in the Southwest, Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and along the U.S.-Mexico border. 2) HDPTP activities will reach 1,595 workers and residents per year through partnerships with worker and community-based organizations and government agencies in California and the Pacific Northwest. 3) ECWTP activities in Los Angeles, Portland, and Alaska will train and place 135 workers per year in construction and environmental jobs.