Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program

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The Sustainable Workplace Alliance (SWA) proposes to reach multiple vulnerable audiences with its model program for educating communities and training workers under the Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program (HWWTP). These vulnerable populations are unlikely to know their rights to a safe workplace, the inherent risks of the work they do, the dangers of misuse of opioids to reduce pain from workplace injuries, the hazards created by pollution or hazardous materials, and the most effective ways to protect themselves from these harms. The overarching goal of this program is to prevent work-related harm by teaching workers how best to protect themselves and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials while at work. For the last seven years, SWA and its alliance partners have been leading the HAZMAT P.A.C.T. (Pacific Atlantic & Caribbean Training) initiative, and as a continuation of that initiative, we will focus on providing outreach in Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Hawaii. Additionally, we will service the U.S. Territories of the Pacific Islands, including American Samoa, Guam, Palau, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Typical trainees would include remediation contractors, site demolition, debris removal, and post-emergency cleanup; laborers who work with mold, asbestos, or lead-based paint; and abatement workers performing work at Superfund or brownfield sites. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 83,000 workers employed as construction laborers or hazardous waste removal workers in our geographical target areas. Over the five year term of the HWWTP, SWA and its alliance partners will conduct 264 classes, train 3,550 hazardous material and waste workers, resulting in 45,440 contact hours of training. Additionally, 135 of these students will be trained to become HAZWOPER trainers. We estimated that each graduate will return to work and train 10 hazmat employees per year, bringing the total number of direct and tier two workers benefitting from this training program to 4,900. Over the five-year term of this HWWTP project, SWA will develop, test, and publish innovative adult training methods that can be used to better assist the target audience in reducing harm while performing their jobs, which will have a very positive effect on public health.