UMass Lowell Center Will Train Workers on Front Lines of Hazardous Material Emergencies, Weather Disasters
01/15/2016
Media contacts: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences has awarded The New England Consortium (TNEC) a $7.6 million grant to protect the health and safety of workers responding to hazardous-materials and climate-change crises.
As it has for 28 years, TNEC will continue to train employees engaged in hazardous waste operations and emergency response. This new round of funding – $7,635,459 over five years – also expands training to workers who respond to natural disasters caused by climate change.
TNEC is a program of UMass Lowell and a participant in the university’s Climate Change Initiative, which brings together faculty, staff, students and members of the community to address climate change through research and education.
“Our goals have always been to reduce hazardous workplace exposures and prevent related injuries, illnesses, fatalities and costs associated with these outcomes,” said Craig Slatin, a professor in UMass Lowell’s Division of Public Health who heads TNEC. “The new emphasis on preparing workers for cleaning up after climate change-related extreme weather events is in line with our mission. Providing such services is a necessary component for protecting the health and safety of workers and the public as we adapt to the changing climate.”
The new direction for TNEC grew from discoveries made in the aftermath of 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. TNEC found that sanitation and other public health workers were exposed to mold and other biological and chemical hazards because of the disposal of property and building materials associated with the many structures destroyed by floodwaters. With a supplemental grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, TNEC’s partner, the Civil Service Employees Association, trained New York public employees on how to safely clean up hazardous conditions in disaster recovery efforts. The success of this training led to the new five-year funding for the new Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program.
The Civil Service Employees Association will train 1,000 members per year who work in building trades, sanitation, maintenance, health care, universities and school districts. When disaster strikes, they will serve as skilled support personnel for state, county and municipal governments.
TNEC will provide training to workers around New England, including collaborating with another group to offer programs in Spanish and Portuguese in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
“As severe weather events continue to increase across our nation, our goal is to prepare public employers and their employees before response and recovery services are needed,” said Slatin. “We will train them on how to safely work in conditions that expose them to mold, carbon monoxide, chemicals, sewage, lead and asbestos – all hazards that could be encountered during the clean-up after flooding and other catastrophes.”
The bulk of the new grant continues funding for TNEC’s delivery of the Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program for individuals in jobs that routinely require handling such materials and those engaged in emergency response.
Since 1987, TNEC has received funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences through the national Superfund program, which pays for the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. Over those 28 years, TNEC has provided training to more than 2,000 New England employers and many environmental and health and safety regulatory agencies. It also provides training grants to non-profit organizations that develop and deliver health and safety training.
Partners on the grant include the Coalitions for Occupational Safety and Health of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire, along with the Civil Service Employees Association of New York State and Local 1000 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
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