Occupational Health and Safety Training Grant

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This renewal application (2015-2020) requests support for the Department of Work Environment (DWE), University of Massachusetts Lowell to continue its current training program grant with four funded occupational health and safety training programs: a) Occupational and Environmental Hygiene-Industrial Hygiene (OEH-IH); b) Occupational Safety/Ergonomics (OS/E); c) Work Environment Policy (WE Policy); and d) Occupational Epidemiology (Occ Epi). These four programs, which have been funded by NIOSH since 1991, lead to master's (Masters of Science or Masters of Public Health) and doctoral (Doctor of Science) degrees. The mission of the DWE is to train work environment professionals and conduct research on the identification and evaluation of health and environmental hazards and the design of safe and efficient alternatives, thereby promoting the development of healthy and sustainable workplaces. In this mission, we are guided by an overarching vision of the Department's role: design and promote systems of production that are environmentally-sound, safe, healthy and rewarding for workers, communities, and consumers. Our integrated approach to health and safety strives to answer the basic question, "What is the optimal design of a healthy workplace, and how can it be achieved?" It is our premise that specific problems, such as chemical exposures, postural demands, and psychosocial stress are best addressed as a system rather than individually. We seek to close the gap between occupational and environmental health sciences and politics by understanding the inter-relationships between environment, work, and other influences, both nationally and internationally. The department's integrated curriculum has three broad academic objectives: (1) recognition and evaluation of occupational health and safety hazards; (2) control and prevention of occupational and environmental health and safety hazards; and (3) development and implementation of workplace interventions including health and safety programs as well as other social and economic policies. DWE graduates include many successful practitioners and researchers who careers in occupational safety and health indicate overall success towards these goals. The proposal requests five years of funding to support a total of 12 graduate trainees: three trainees each in OEH-IH, OS/E, WE Policy, and Occ Epi.