Grant Community.com

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

93.142:  NIEHS Hazardous Waste Worker Health and Safety Training

Popular Name:  Superfund Worker Training Program

Objectives:  To provide cooperative agreements and project grant support for the development and administration of model worker health and safety training programs consisting of classroom and practical health and safety training of workers and their supervisors, who are engaged in activities related to hazardous materials, hazardous waste generation, treatment, storage, disposal, removal, containment, transportation, or emergency response. To assist organizations in the development of institutional competency to provide appropriate training and education to hazardous waste workers.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

93.142 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  A public or private nonprofit entity providing worker health and safety education and training may submit an application and receive a cooperative agreement or project grant for support of waste worker education and training by a named principal investigator. Recipients/grantees may use services, as appropriate, of other public or private organizations necessary to develop, administer, or evaluate proposed worker training programs, as long as the requirement for awards to nonprofit organizations is not violated. Nonprofit organizations which are incorporated under 501(c)(4) are prohibited from receiving grants.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Any public or private entity providing worker safety and health education and training will benefit from this program.

Credentials/Documentation:  Applications must be signed by appropriate officials of the submitting institution. Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local governments, A-21 for universities, and A-122 for private nonprofit other than universities. For other recipient/grantees, costs will be determined by HHS Regulations 45 CFR 74, Subpart Q.

93.142 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  Not applicable. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. Not applicable.

Application Procedure:  Application forms and instructions for their submission are available from the Office of Extramural Outreach and Information, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910. Phone (301) 435-0714; e-mail: grantsinfo@nih.gov"> and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (MD 3-01), P.O. Box 12233, 104 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. The standard application forms, as furnished by PHS and required by 45 CFR, Part 92, must be used for this program by those applicants that are State and local units of government. This program is subject to the provisions of 45 CFR, Part 92 for State and local governments and OMB Circular No. A-110 for nonprofit organizations, as appropriate.

Award Procedure:  As required in HHS Regulations, 42 CFR Part 65, applications will be reviewed administratively by NIEHS staff for completeness and responsiveness to the program announcement. Applications then will be reviewed on a competitive basis for technical merit by an ad hoc review committee composed primarily of non-government members with expertise in occupational safety and health training and hazardous waste operations convened by the NIEHS. A second level of review will be conducted by the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council. This second level of review will be for program relevance. The final approval of these recommendations and decisions concerning funding is made by the Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Formal award notices are sent to successful applicants.

Deadlines:  Contact Headquarters Office for deadline information.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  From 8 to 9 months.

Appeals:  A principal investigator (P.I.) may question the substantive or procedural aspects of the review of his/her application by communicating with the staff of the Institute. A description of the NIH Peer Review Appeal procedures is available on the NIH home page grants.nih.gov/grants/peer/peer.htm.

Renewals:  Renewal awards are subject to the same criteria as new applications.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  The following factors considered for applications for full program cooperative agreements include: (1) Methods and techniques to be used for identifying, describing, and accessing target worker populations and anticipated impact of the proposed program; (2) evidence of the organization's performance and effectiveness in planning, implementing and operating appropriate worker health and safety training and education programs; (3) adequacy of the detailed program plan for curricula development, training of instructors, distribution of course materials, and direct student training; (4) technical and professional expertise of the proposed program director, present or proposed staff, and consultants; (5) methods proposed for evaluating appropriateness, quality, and effectiveness of training; (6) availability of appropriate facilities and equipment to support the described educational and training activities including hands-on instruction and demonstration; (7) evidence of the organization's past performance and effectiveness in planning, implementing, and operating training and education programs for workers; (8) the likelihood that the program will continue beyond the grant period; and (9) reasonableness of the proposed program activities.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Programs provide health and safety training and education for occupational populations involved in waste handling and processing at active and inactive hazardous substance treatment, storage and disposal facilities; cleanup, removal, containment, or remedial action at waste sites; hazardous substance emergency response; hazardous substance disposal site risk assessment and investigation, remedial actions or clean-up by State and local personnel; and transportation of hazardous wastes.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  From $450,000 to $5,000,000; $1,254,771.

93.142 RELATED PROGRAMS:

None.

93.142 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

While no competing grants were made in fiscal year 1999, 26 continuation awards were made. Grantees are continuing to develop, pilot-test, and use curricula for training hazardous waste workers. The program was reannounced during fiscal year 1999 Renewal applications have been received. Funding decisions will be made by May 2000. Throughout the life of the NIEHS/EPA Superfund worker Training Program (SWTP), over 565,000 workers have received training in 29,000 classroom and hands-on-training courses. This totals over nine million contact hours of actual training. During the last year, the 26 grantees provided training to over 79,000 workers. The Minority Worker Training Program (MWTP) was established as a pilot program within the larger SWTP. The MWTP has provided a series of national pilot programs to test a range of strategies for the recruitment and training of young adults who liver near hazardous waste sites or in communities at risk of exposure to contaminated properties. In its third year of operation, the program supported training in 16 cities through 180 courses accounting for over 180,000 classroom hours.

93.142 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements).

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $32,624,058; FY 00 est $33,000,000; and FY 01 est $33,500,000. (NOTE: Funds are transferred to NIEHS from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy in order for this program to be administered by NIEHS.)

Budget Account Number:  75-0862-0-1-552.

Authorization:  Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, as amended, Title I, Section 126, Public Law 99-499; Public Health Service Act, Section 405(b)(1)(C), as amended, Public Law 99-158.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  42 CFR 52; 45 CFR 74; 45 CFR 92; NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts; PHS Grants Policy Statement, DHHS Publication No. (OASH) 94-50,000, (Rev.) April 1, 1994. Other publications, information, and applications and kits are available from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, and the NIEHS (MD 3-01), P.O. Box 12233, 104 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.

93.142 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:  Program Contact: Mr. Joseph T. Hughes, Jr., Program Director, Superfund Worker Training and Education Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Phone: (919) 541-0217 Grants Management Contact: Dorothy G. Williams, Grants Management Officer, Grants Management Branch, Division of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Phone: (919) 541-2749, E-mail: Williams@niehs.nih.gov.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

93.142 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  This program has no statutory formula or matching requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Full program cooperative agreements may be awarded for up to 5 years, generally in 12-month budget periods. Currently, the program is operating under a 1-year authorization. No commitment of funds can be made for budget periods beginning after fiscal year 1996. Funds are released primarily on the basis of an Electronic Transfer System.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Cooperative agreements and project grants are intended to support the direct costs of a project, in accordance with an approved budget, plus indirect costs at a pre-established rate. Both the award and use of funds are subject to applicable provisions of basic statutory authorities, appropriations acts, pertinent regulations, and operating policies of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

93.142 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  A detailed annual cooperative agreement or project grant summary report is required with the renewal application for all program recipients/grantees. Annual and final progress reports, and financial status reports are required for all awardees.

Audits:  In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspection and audits by DHHS and other Federal officials.

Records:  Expenditures and other financial and program records must be retained for 3 years from the day on which the awardee submits the final financial status report for the report period.