DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The International Union, UAW proposes to train 2339 workers in the first year, providing 22,545 contact hours of training using 25 different curricula t worksites and at union-sponsored functions. The UAW will train 11,695 participants and provide 112,725 contact hours of training over the life of the project. We will expand the scope of an on-going program which provides training in hazardous waste operations, hazardous materials transportation, environmental restoration of contaminated site, emergency response and related health and safety topics. The long-term objective of this project is to prevent work-related harm by providing health and safety training to UAW members and members of communities disadvantaged by environmental injustice, limited English proficiency and/or lack of educational opportunity. The training will help them to protect themselves, their places of employment and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials. A special strength of this project is that it integrates the technical expertise of the UAW and the University of Michigan (U-M) in basic disciplines of health and safety, the practical experience of the UAW in addressing hazards at work, and the ongoing relationship of the UAW with trainees and management at worksites served. We plan to enhance collaboration with groups that serve populations with limited English proficiency, occupational health disparities and environmental justice challenges. To do so, we propose not just to deliver health and safety training to community members recruited by our partner organizations, but also to transfer health and safety training skills to te staffs of our partner organizations through train-the-trainer programs. Our partner organizations include: - Catholic Charities Hispanic Outreach Services - United Hispanic Workers of Detroit - Macomb International Services Center - Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice - Green Door Initiative - OAI Inc The paramount goal of this project is to prevent work-related harm by training UAW members and others in how best to protect themselves and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials encountered during hazardous waste operations, hazardous materials transportation, environmental restoration of contaminated facilities and/or chemical emergency response. The specific aims are to: 1. Conduct training in health and safety topics directly or indirectly related to elimination and/or reduction of potential exposure o hazardous materials. 2. Develop new curricula on chemical safety and security, climate change, Ebola and other topics. Revise and expand existing curricula as needed. Integrate advanced training technology into new and revised curricula to improve the delivery of training (WETP Mission Priority 5). 3. Continue and intensify efforts to identify and target high-risk worksites for delivery of training. 4. Continue and expand collaborative partnerships with community groups and other NIEHS-WETP grantees. These partnerships will be particularly focused on addressing underserved workers, health disparities and environmental justice. 5. Conduct program evaluation, integrating use of worker-evaluators to provide feedback for continual improvement of curricula and delivery methods. This will include evaluating the long-term impact of IER training on worker and organizational outcomes. 6. Continue and expand a study that identifies factors contributing to suboptimal safety cultures and assesses the effectiveness of low cost intervention strategies to positively change suboptimal workplace safety cultures.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The International Union, UAW proposes to expand the scope of an on-going program whose long-term objective is to prevent the adverse consequences of exposure to hazardous materials by providing health and safety training to UAW members and members of communities disadvantaged by environmental injustice, limited English proficiency and/or lack of educational opportunity. We propose not just to deliver health and safety training to community members recruited by our partner organizations, but also to transfer health and safety training skills to the staffs of our partner organizations through train-the-trainer program. Our membership is national in scope and we have a track record of more than thirty years of competence and experience in delivering this kind of training. The major problem we address is the potential for illness and injury associated with contact with hazardous materials. More specifically, we seek to address emerging hazards (NIEHS Strategic Plan, Goal 5), environmental health disparities (NIEHS Strategic Plan Goal 6), and lack of opportunity for underserved populations (WETP Strategic Plan Mission Priority 4). In doing so, it furthers both EPA's mission to protect human health and the Environment and Congress's purpose in passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 "to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions..."