NIH’s new Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) is available for the electronic preparation and submission of multi-project applications through Grants.gov to NIH. Applications to this FOA must be submitted electronically; paper applications will not be accepted. ASSIST replaces the Grants.gov downloadable forms currently used with most NIH opportunities and provides many features to enable electronic multi-project application submission and improve data quality, including: pre-population of organization and PD/PI data, pre-submission validation of many agency business rules and the generation of data summaries in the application image used for review.

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts) and where instructions in the Application Guide are directly related to the Grants.gov downloadable forms currently used with most NIH opportunities. Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) invites applications for cooperative agreements to support the development of model programs for the training and education of community workers engaged in activities related to hazardous materials and waste generation, removal, containment, transportation and emergency response.

The major objective of this FOA is to prevent work-related harm by assisting in the training of workers 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 or chemical emergency response. A variety of sites, such as those involved with chemical waste cleanup and remedial action and transportation-related chemical emergency response, may pose severe health and safety concerns to workers and the surrounding communities. These sites are often characterized by the multiplicity of substances present, the presence of unknown substances, and the general uncontrolled condition of the site. A major goal of this program is to provide assistance to organizations in developing their institutional competency to provide appropriate model training and education programs to hazardous materials and waste workers.

The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), Section 126(g), authorizes an assistance program for training and education of workers engaged in activities related to hazardous waste generation, removal, containment or emergency response and hazardous materials transportation and emergency response. The Congress assigned responsibility for administering this program to the NIEHS, an Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the Public Health Service (PHS) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

This FOA lists 3 distinct program areas: Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program, the Environmental Career Worker Training Program formerly the "Minority Worker Training Program", and the Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program.

Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program (HWWTP)

Hazardous material and waste workers include workers engaged in: active and inactive waste treatment, storage and disposal, hazardous waste generation, clean up and remedial action, emergency response, and workers engaged in hazardous materials transportation including safe loading, unloading, handling, and storage. Target populations for this training include those covered by requirements of Federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Part 1910) and Environmental Protection Agency (CFR, Title 40, Part 311) standards for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, regulations governing the NIEHS Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program (CFR, Title 42, Part 65), as well as hazardous materials transportation workers regulated by the US Department of Transportation (49 CFR 171-177).

Since 1987 of the Superfund WTP (FY 1987-2013), the HWWTP has supported 20 primary awardees. These represent over 100 different institutions that have trained more than 2.7 million workers across the country. Each year approximately 130,000 to 175,000 workers receive critical safety and health training under these programs, which have accounted for more than 30 million contact hours of actual training. For 2013, approximately 8,607 courses were offered for 142, 141 workers with 1,407,102 contact hours. More information about the awardees and descriptions of all NIEHS WTP programs can be found at: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/hazmat/.

Environmental Career Worker Training Program (ECWTP) formerly the Minority Worker Training Program (MWTP)

It has been suggested that disadvantaged communities face greater likelihood of exposure to ambient hazards, and that differential vulnerability may modify the effects of toxicants on biological systems. The ECWTP seeks to address the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged communities by increasing the depth of the training to promote a sustainable environmental career path for workers in the hazardous materials handling, waste, construction, and other emerging industries. The MWTP was established in 1995 to provide a series of national pilot programs to test a range of strategies for the recruitment and training of young persons from vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. These are individuals who live near hazardous waste sites or in a community at risk of exposure from contaminated properties who wish to work in the environmental field. The program represents a broad geographic distribution and reaches numerous populations in high-risk contaminated areas across the US. Over the years the program has evolved to focus on delivering comprehensive training to increase the number of disadvantaged and underrepresented minority workers in many areas such as environmental restoration, construction, hazardous materials/waste handling as well as emergency response.

These programs promote long-lasting and effective partnerships in minority and underserved communities that help reinforce occupational health and worker education, and mitigate health disparities at the community level. The different programs provide pre-employment job training, including literacy, life skills, environmental preparation, green jobs, and other related courses, construction skills training, environmental worker training including hazardous waste, asbestos and lead abatement training; and safety and health training. Some training also includes enrollment in apprenticeship programs for construction and environmental remediation worker training. In addition, particular focus is placed on establishing a program of mentoring. This program helps to enhance the participants problem solving skills, understanding of individual self-esteem and team work in the application of technical knowledge to environmental and related problems. The ECWTP promotes partnerships or sub-agreements with academic and other institutions, with a particular focus on minority serving institutions , and public schools and community-based organizations located in or near the impacted area to provide pre-math, science or other related education to program participants prior to or concurrent with entry into the training program. For FY 2013, the program trained 367 individuals with 279 employed for an outstanding job placement rate of 76%.

There are important guidance documents that describe the successes of the NIEHS Worker Training Program. The Minority Worker Training Program- now the ECWTP: Guidance on How to Achieve Successes and Best Practices Report provides a detailed assessment of the development of the program, key findings, best practices for implementation and success, short and long term recommendations, and numerous case studies for the Minority Worker Training Program (MWTP). Since the inception of this program, approximately 10,000 people have been trained in more than 30 communities across 20 states and the District of Columbia with a job placement rate of roughly 70% and it includes the Brownfields Minority Worker Training that ended in 2007. By helping to increase sustainable employment opportunities, promote economic development, address health disparities, and advance environmental justice, the program has transformed the lives of trainees, families, and communities traditionally overburdened by economic distress and exposures to hazardous environmental conditions. The MWTP model is designed to effectively address the significant impediments to training and employment that challenge underserved and disadvantaged people. By helping to increase sustainable employment opportunities, promote economic development, address health disparities, and advance environmental justice, the program has transformed the lives of trainees, families, and communities traditionally overburdened by economic distress and exposures to hazardous environmental conditions. The MWTP has provided significant contributions to environmental justice by providing training and increasing job opportunities to people from underserved and disadvantaged communities. The program enables these people to participate in addressing the needs of their communities in a more meaningful way. The full report can be found at http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=10040.

As part of the DHHS commitment to the Brownfields National Partnership Agenda, the NIEHS will continue to provide training under the ECWTP to support training targeting brownfields communities. As defined by the EPA, Brownfield sites are "abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination." Overall, these programs have achieved great success in moving workers into long-term employment including, most recently, in the area of energy retrofitting and solar panel installation.

Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program (HDPTP)

NIEHS has developed a HDPTP initiative in response to the experiences and lessons learned in recent national disasters including terrorist attacks. This program enhances the safety and health training of current hazardous materials workers and chemical responders to create materials and deliver training to workers responding to a disaster. This program, through its Emergency Support Activation Plan, aims to augment prevention preparedness efforts in a wide variety of high-risk settings, and to ensure responders are aware of site specific hazards and mitigation techniques prior to and during response activities. This initiative is intended to foster the development of disaster specific training programs as an extension to the HWWTP for the purpose of preparing a cadre of experienced workers for prevention and response to future terrorist incidents in a wide variety of facilities and high-risk operations. The purpose of the NIEHS HDPTP is to complement the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) various preparedness training programs by enhancing the safety and health training capacity of hazmat workers and emergency responders to prevent, deter, or respond to terrorist incidents involving weapons of mass destruction as well as natural disasters. Since the program started in 2005, awardees have responded and trained workers after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, the 2007 California wildfires, and Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill with approximately 5,473 courses offered, for 79,288 workers, representing 801,977 contact hours of training. For 2013, approximately 825 courses were offered for 12,465 workers representing 112,668 contact hours of training.

Training developed under this program should complement the National Incident Management System (NIMS) standardized incident management processes, protocols, and procedures that all responders -- Federal, state, tribal, and local -- will use to coordinate and conduct response actions.

Background resources describing this initiative include technical Workshop reports which are available at the NIEHS Clearinghouse web site:

1) Learning from Disasters: Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Preparedness Through Worker Training: (http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=554)

2) Worker Training in a New Era: Responding to New Threats (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/visiting/events/pastmtg/assets/docs_n_z/technical_workshop_report_2002.pdf )

3) Disaster Site Worker Course (https://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/disaster/index.html)

NIEHS WTP supports the belief that pre-incident training is critical for workers who may find themselves responding to a disaster. Skilled and other support personnel (such as construction, utility and transportation workers) along with federal, state and local government workers and others may find themselves working on a disaster site, be it during the response, cleanup or recovery stage. These populations need to understand the unique hazards that are present on a disaster site before they are deployed there. The Disaster Site Worker courses (OSHA 7600 and OSHA 5600) arose from a clearly identified need at World Trade Center (WTC) Ground Zero and can save lives during disaster responses by providing workers who respond to disasters the critical knowledge they need to protect themselves.

4) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) Spring 2006 Technical Workshop Report: Learning form Disasters: Katrina Response and Safety Training http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=2764&searchTerm=katrina)

5) Lessons Learned from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill - Released February 2012 (http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=9495&searchTerm=deepwater%20horizon%20after%20action)

6) Worker Training Program - NIEHS Hurricane Sandy Response Report released September 2013 http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=9939

General Training Goals and Objectives

The immediate goal of worker health and safety training is educational in nature, designed to provide students with relevant information, program-solving skills, and the confidence needed to use these tools. Long-term goals of the model training programs should be to assure that workers become and remain active participants in determining and improving the health and safety conditions under which they work, and that avenues for collaborative employer-employee relationships in creating safe workplaces are established. Primary prevention of disease and injury among hazardous waste workers requires heavy reliance on the use of engineering control methods, appropriate work practices and the use of personal protective equipment such as respirators and protective clothing. These approaches are highly dependent on individual workers being knowledgeable in the use and application of these approaches and understanding their limitations.

Worker safety and health training are adult-based, action-oriented, and result-centered. The goals and objectives of the worker training program focus on outcomes rather than on learning for its own sake. Workers come to training with a great volume of experience, and are, in many ways, the richest resources of a training class. Experience shows that successful adult education often emphasizes peer-sharing activities, such as problem-solving and simulation exercises, that tap the experience of the learner. Successful worker training often mirrors the way people learn from each other at work. After training, workers should be able to bring what they have learned in the classroom or work-site training back to their jobs.

These training goals and objectives apply to all programs; however, there are specific goals and objectives restricted to the ECWTP and the HDPTP. Applications which are responsive to this FOA must clearly delineate the training populations being targeted by specifying a discrete training plan, program resources and a segregated program budget which responds to a combination or all of the authorized NIEHS assistance programs through HWWTP, ECWTP, and the HDPTP.

HWWTP Specific Goals and Objectives

Applicants should be familiar with SARA Section 126 requirements for training. This identifies workers to be trained based on potential exposure and health risk and requires training for personnel engaged in hazardous substance removal or other activities, such as those involved in transportation, which expose or potentially expose such workers to hazardous substances. In addition, training is required for workers who may be exposed to unique or special hazards. Different levels of training for hazardous materials, waste workers and supervisors is delineated in this section and depending on their role in the response activity training should be tailored to and specific to the hazards. For example, training described in a site safety plan based on the job hazard analysis of the site should be followed according to the standard.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which includes the NIH and the NIEHS, is a signatory to the National Response Framework (NRF). Upon the activation of the NRF, NIEHS may be activated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the NRF's Worker Safety Health Annex to provide:

• Training technical assistance such as instructional staff, curricula development experts, subject-matter experts, and professional staff.
• Safety training to worker target populations with respect to the nature and location of the incident and the particular hazards.
• Assistance and support in the development and delivery of site-specific health and safety training through appropriately qualified WTP awardee instructional staff.
• Assistance such as respirator fit-testing and distribution of personal protective equipment.

This section on the NRF is also applicable to the HDPTP

Important background information for this FOA is available from the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training. This organization, which is a support contractor to NIEHS, is the primary communications channel through which the WTP distributes technical reports, news updates, and training information to its awardees, interested members of the hazardous waste worker-training community, and the public.

A list of curricula developed by current NIEHS awardees is available from the National Clearinghouse on the web at http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/index.cfm?id=603.

Model training programs for hazardous waste workers and emergency responders shall satisfy minimum requirements as specified in Federal OSHA rules and other related regulations which have been or may be promulgated. Training programs shall also meet the minimum requirements specified in the Minimum Criteria for Worker Health and Safety Training for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, updated in 2006 as a result of an NIEHS sponsored technical workshop on training quality. Originally issued in 1991 and expanded in 1994, the latest document incorporates training issues such as the emergence of computer-based training and the training of workers to deal with the aftermath of terrorist actions. The Final Version of the Minimum Health and Safety Training Criteria: Guidance for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) Supporting and All-Hazards Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, and Response can be found at http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/public/hasl_get_blob.cfm?ID=2465.

Consideration should also be given to Appendix E of 29 CFR 1910.120 (59 FR 43268, August 22, 1994), which references much of the NIEHS Minimum Criteria Worker Health and Safety Training for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response. This OSHA guidance is available at: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9770.

In February 2007, WTP updated its strategic plan to be consistent with the NIEHS vision, which includes identification and prevention of hazardous exposures. The WTP uses the environmental sciences to reduce risk and protect worker and public health through training. The strategic plan outlines the directions that the program seeks to take during the next 5 years. It includes information on the development of the plan, partnerships, roles of advanced training technologies, and the central role of 29 CFR 1910.120 in environmental response and cleanup whether at traditional superfund sites, uncontrolled hazardous waste sites, or sites emanating from a natural disaster or an act of terrorism. The WTP Strategic Plan can be found at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/careers/assets/docs/wetp_strategic_plan.pdf.

There is no limiting language regarding training coverage. Thus, the scope covers worker health protection from hazardous waste work and exposure to hazardous substances in the broadest sense.

An applicant may join with one or more nonprofit organizations in a single application and share resources in order to maximize worker group coverage, enhance the effectiveness of training, and bring together appropriate academic disciplines and talents. Such arrangements are strongly encouraged. The application must have specific plans to implement the cooperative arrangements necessary for program integration and to insure effectiveness. Detailed plans of this collaboration and budgets must be described only in the lead organization’s application. Specific expertise, facilities or services to be provided by each participating member must be identified.

Awards will be made for direct student and worker trainer training, technical support of training, and training program evaluation. It is believed that adequate curricula and training materials exist for worker training that can be adapted with minimal effort. Means of multiplying training are also encouraged to meet the need; thus, programs such as effective train-the-trainer programs are encouraged. Programs targeted to multi-state and nationwide coverage to reach wider worker populations will be given preference in funding. Applications will not be considered that cover municipalities or other jurisdictions covering fewer than two states. Since this program restricts indirect costs to 8%, applicants are also strongly encouraged to develop plans to generate program income to assist in supporting efforts under the HWWT and HDTP components.

WTP recognizes that within proposed target populations there are workers who are disadvantaged in education, language skills or limited in literacy and socioeconomic status. Applicants are encouraged to consider how to address the needs of these workers The inclusion of institutions and organizations that have historical involvement and expertise in responding to environmental justice issues is also strongly encouraged.

Participation of minority institutions and community-based organizations from disadvantaged or vulnerable communities may include the:

• Adaptation of curricula to address occupational health disparities and environmental justice concerns;
• Development of training programs that outreach to environmentally disadvantaged groups and Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations; and
• Delivery of high-quality training that can augment efforts to promote toxic use reduction, emergency preparedness in the community, chemical process safety and pollution prevention.

Information regarding the NIEHS WTP Environmental Justice Accomplishments are described in the report entitled Environmental Justice and Hazardous Waste Worker Training Programs: 15 Years of Investment in Environmental Justice and provides a strong framework for continued involvement in environmental justice advances that support occupational health and safety protections of workers and communities. Additional, the NIEHS WTP activities supports the 2012 HHS Environmental Justice Strategy and Implementation Plan (2012 HHS EJ Strategy) which provides clear direction of goals, strategies and actions to address environmental justice in minority and low-income populations and Indian tribes. The plan as well as other information on HHS Environmental Justice efforts can be found at http://www.hhs.gov/environmentaljustice/.

The NIEHS efforts to address occupational health disparities was explored in a workshop entitled Eliminating Health and Safety Disparities at Work in collaboration with NIOSH, EPA, OSHA. This workshop brought together representatives from multiple disciplines and perspectives to understand the social, cultural, and economic factors that create and perpetuate occupational health and safety disparities and the papers, reports and publications (Special Issue: Achieving Health Equity in the Workplace, May 2014, Volume 57, Issue 5, Pages 493 614 at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.v57.5/issuetoc) examined the major research accomplishments and gaps in this area and identified promising practices for eliminating disparities through innovative intervention programs that are integral to supporting effective health and safety training under the NIEHS WTP.

On-going Program Initiatives

Due to the complexity and the number of new emerging training innovations and technologies occurring in the worker health and safety arena, NIEHS identified several training opportunities in the previous issuance of this FOA (RFA-ES-09-004) that were specifically related to the advancement of the WTP. It was important that these and other new emerging training technologies and approaches be woven and integrated into the framework of the program. NIEHS had learned that successful examples of training partnerships involve the creation of clear mechanisms for assuring avenues for input and collaboration by labor, management, local government officials and other stakeholders, as well as a vision for integrating training into other workplace programs and initiatives. In addition, it was clear that the context and technical approaches to safety and health training had undergone a rapid transition since the 1990 s, as computer and telecommunications technology have unleashed a wealth of technical information resources and established innovative modes of training development, delivery and evaluation.

Since 2004 with the emergence of new health and safety concerns for workers in the areas of green remediation, green jobs, green chemistry, nanotechnology, new industrial processes and chemicals, and combustible dust, it is clear that additional health and safety training approaches are necessary to address these new hazards to the hazardous waste workforce. There are other new issues that clearly impact the health and safety of current and new target populations including hazards associated with hydraulic fracking, responding to chemical emergencies, (Executive Order 13,650-- Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security), responding to climate change events and sea level rise, as well as occupational health disparities and environmental justice, and identifying and meeting the needs of new training audiences such as citizen recovery workers during disasters, or returning veterans.

For the Executive Order 13650, training should include improving operational coordination with State, Local, and Tribal Partners such as to improve health and safety training of workers at facilities and training associated with this safety. For the worker training community training to enhance and expand the application of process, safety management is integral. Information on OSHA Process Safety Management can be found at https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/processsafetymanagement/. In addition, training that meets Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Clean Air Act (CAA) to address emergency response, emergency preparedness training, and risk management plans is also encouraged.

As for climate change events and sea level rise, environmental cleanup workers, which may include community members, and emergency responders must be trained to address hazards associated with the increase in frequency and intensity of climate events as described in Executive Order 13653-- Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change. During disasters, WTP puts a human face on the term 'resilience.' WTP has long noted the stress, the physical danger, the exhaustion that our citizens face during and in the aftermath of these large scale events. Tragically, such events seem to be increasing in frequency. There is a role that training can play in preparing our responders, often your neighbors restoring their own neighborhoods and homes, to face this future. Thus WTP is working with the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal partners on developing the resilience of our fellow citizens. Specifically, the goal is to develop health and safety training materials and resources for workers to support State, local, and tribal preparedness for resilience to climate change. Under the ECWTP, training for careers in emergency response and infrastructure rebuilding of communities is encouraged. Plans for this training should include information on the target populations and for these populations, the need for training to address hazards and vulnerabilities associated with pre-incident, response and recovery efforts after significant climate change events.

ECWTP Specific Goals and Objectives (formerly the MWTP)

The ECWTP focuses on delivering comprehensive job training to increase the pool of individuals from disadvantaged and vulnerable communities in the environmental remediation and construction industries. The ECWTP will maintain its focus on building strong training collaborative programs between worker training organizations, such as labor-based organizations, community-based organizations, and minority serving institutions, which have unique access to potential trainees from disadvantaged communities. . Special attention will be directed at programs that successfully integrate job skills training with worker health and safety training to reach multiple urban locations for training. Utilization of existing curricula is the preferred method for development of specific training under this program.

Major program goals are:

Recruit target populations that are members of disadvantaged groups who live in areas near hazardous waste sites or in communities at risk of exposure to contaminated properties. We encourage that priority for recruitment target adult persons that are disadvantaged to increase the number of underrepresented workers in the hazardous waste, construction and environmental remediation fields. These individuals must be unemployed or underemployed and reside in disadvantaged communities. Training should be tailored to meet the needs of the target population for the entire time of the grant and it is intended that training occur in multiple communities. Training should address skills and knowledge required for different and diverse career opportunities in environmental restoration and construction with integration of new emerging environmental technology fields such as green jobs training and approaches. Each program should develop specialized training programs specific to the workforce needs in their geographic area; however, hazardous materials and waste training remain the primary core curriculum. Partnerships are essential to provide this diverse training and it is important to include formal community based local partners to conduct specific training such as literacy training, job readiness, problem solving skills, self-esteem and team work. Life Skills training is a supportive service tailored to the individual's needs. The services might include remedial mathematics tutoring, budget counseling and cash management, life situational counseling and job readiness skills. These help prepare the students to take apprenticeship and employment examinations, as well as pass the environmental examinations leading to certifications in lead abatement, asbestos abatement, and hazardous waste operations.

In addition in order to obtain access to quality jobs in these fields formal arrangement with environmental cleanup contractors and hazardous waste employers may be necessary. These environmental career-oriented projects are developed within the context of other social and health needs of the community. The different programs provide pre-employment job training, including literacy, life skills, environmental preparation and other related courses construction skills training; environmental worker training including hazardous waste, asbestos and lead abatement training; and safety and health training. Some training also includes enrollment in apprenticeship programs for construction and environmental remediation worker training. In addition, particular focus is placed on establishing a program of mentoring.

Student retention in training is imperative and strategies to engage participants throughout the various phases of the program are a major objective of the training. Also a tracking program that describes the longevity of post-training employment of graduating training program participants, type of jobs, and specific types of sites where participants work is extremely critical to report job placements.

Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program (HDPTP) Goals and Objectives

The goal of future NIEHS program support under HDPTP will be to enhance the safety and health training of current hazardous materials workers and chemical responders, to train skilled response personnel, to create materials and deliver training to responders (cleanup workers and their communities) and to augment prevention and preparedness efforts in a wide variety of high risk settings. Creation of materials and delivery of proposed training to potential disaster response workers must be closely coordinated with the activities of authority having jurisdiction of the overall response effort and other involved local, state and federal entities.

One of the key lessons of the World Trade Center cleanup is the importance that skilled construction support personnel and hazardous materials response workers will play in any future disaster of national significance. Only the HWWTP applicants may apply for the HDPTP; therefore, NIEHS funds may be reprogrammed to allow disaster response participation with the approval of the NIEHS program administrator. Additionally, existing remediation and cleanup worker training courses must be refreshed using lessons learned and after action reports from disaster responses and exercises to continually improve the health and safety of responders operating in disaster site conditions.

Areas of program response may include:

Enhanced training for current hazardous material workers and chemical responders who protect the nation's infrastructure from other potential terrorist attacks on chemical-intensive operations is a continuing high priority national need. This may support Executive Order 13650, that would include worker training community training to enhance and expand the application of process safety management. In addition, training that meets RCRA/CAA to address emergency response, emergency preparedness training, and risk management plans would also be encouraged as well as training that would improve operational coordination with State, Local, and Tribal Partners.

Training under this program could also support Executive Order 13653, Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change. During disasters, WTP puts a human face on the term resilience . WTP has long noted the stress, the physical danger, the exhaustion that our citizens face during and in the aftermath of these large scale events. Tragically, such events seem to be increasing in frequency. There is a role that training can play in preparing our responders, often your neighbors restoring their own neighborhoods and homes, to face this future. Thus WTP is working with the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal partners on developing the resilience of our fellow citizens. Specifically developing disaster preparedness training modules that support State, local, and tribal preparedness for resilience to climate change. Topics, such as mental health resiliency, alert workers to the impact of stress, fatigue, and traumatic events and the impact that it has on their ability to perform activities of daily living.

Training for skilled response personnel to assure appropriate response and remediation actions to the current bio-terrorist attacks using weaponized microbials is a high priority area for training program response. The OSHA designation of anthrax response coverage by 1910.120 regulations (http://www.osha.gov/dep/anthrax/hasp/index.html) identifies a clear target training population.

Training initiatives should support the development of a nation-wide cadre of well-trained environmental response workers and emergency responders to ensure that the nation is prepared to respond to future disasters of national significance. This training should be patterned after the successful Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program that provides worker certification to workers who work safely on existing or new hazardous waste sites.

A proposed disaster response-training program should focus on health and safety and environmental issues and should include at a minimum a review of National Incident Management System (NIMS), emergency response protocols, hazard communication, personal protection equipment and respiratory protection, Incident Command System orientation, and first aid training.

NIEHS encourages the updating and revising of existing curricula as a first priority. New training modules should only be developed if there is significant justification to address different biological, radiological, and chemical agents that can be incorporated into Hazardous Waste Refresher courses or can stand alone as part of a larger all hazards preparedness disaster training program as an important step toward creating a cadre of disaster prepared remediation and response workers. NIEHS resources can be used to support the development of trained and pre-certified skilled construction support personnel in relevant crafts for immediate response to national disasters or possible catastrophic attacks. In support of NIEHS WTP Emergency Support Activation Plan (ESAP), trainers may need to be NIMS compliant and should take appropriate identified courses to meet the requirements of the standards established at a disaster site.

Much important environmental health research can only be done during the response to, and recovery from, a major disaster. In the aftermath of numerous disasters, there has been an acknowledged and urgent need for public health research, and a number of topical areas and research questions have been identified including those that, if addressed, would impact recovery as well as future preparedness efforts. These topics included community resilience, the public health and healthcare system preparedness and response, mold mitigation and health issues, characterization of the morbidity, disability, and mortality among impacted populations (including behavioral health outcomes, and outcomes for responders), community and worker education and training, communications, and the use of social media. Training can contribute to reducing the negative outcomes and improving preparedness of the previously mentioned topics.

In addition, numerous disasters have made clear that the term responder often applies to citizens protecting themselves, their property and communities during and recovering from these events. Thus there is likely a need for short, incident specific awareness training that can be delivered during the disaster recovery period including training on issues such as confined spaces, blood borne pathogens, personal protective equipment, hazard assessment, fire watch, first aid/CPR, site safety, working around heavy equipment, physical threats such as heat stress, fatigue, shift work, fall protection, and psychological stress.

Specifically for workers in high-hazard facilities like the oil, nuclear and petrochemical industry, which have been cited as likely targets for terrorist attack or other disasters, NIEHS will support development of awareness and operations level training programs that will prepare in-plant workers to react quickly to interface with the emergency response system, to prevent the release of hazardous materials during normal operations and to limit damage at the plant and to protect themselves, their fellow workers and the general public.

Workers both in the private health care sector and in the public health arena in state and local agencies have been given significant new responsibilities for preparedness and response to disasters of national significance. Health and safety training may be appropriate and necessary for potential private and public health response workers.

NIEHS will support the development of training course materials for transportation employers and transportation workers that addresses security, safety and emergency response issues related to the transportation of hazardous and radiological materials.

Preparation and delivery of training for workers with the capability of remediating buildings contaminated with biohazards such as anthrax, small pox, and bio-toxic agents continue to be national priorities. The training must prepare these workers for environments that will be extremely hazardous and teach them appropriate work practices, use of personal protection equipment, and effective decontamination procedures.

Many remediation workers and other workers in high-risk facilities do not speak English as their native language and some do not speak English at all. Health and Safety training materials and curricula must be understandable for workers at risk and need to be provided in an appropriate manner that will allow the demonstration of comprehension and proficiency of the trainings objectives meaning, trainers may need to be trained and courses may need to be conducted in other appropriate languages and consideration given to cultural protocols

NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

Higher Education Institutions

• Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
• Private Institutions of Higher Education

The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:

• Hispanic-serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs)

Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education

• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Applicant Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.

• Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.
• System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly CCR) Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.
  • NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM.
• eRA Commons - Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application.
• Grants.gov Applicants must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.gov registration.

Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons.If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PDs/PIs, visit the Multiple Program Director/Principal Investigator Policy and submission details in the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time. This means that the NIH will not accept:

• A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.
• A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application.
• An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review (see NOT-OD-11-101).

In addition, the NIH will not accept a resubmission (A1) application that is submitted later than 37 months after submission of the new (A0) application that it follows. The NIH will accept submission:

• To an RFA of an application that was submitted previously as an investigator-initiated application but not paid;
• Of an investigator-initiated application that was originally submitted to an RFA but not paid; or

Applicants can access the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.

Most applicants will use NIH’s ASSIST system to prepare and submit applications through Grants.gov to NIH. Applications prepared and submitted using applicant systems capable of submitting electronic multi-project applications to Grants.gov will also be accepted.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, including Supplemental Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise and where instructions in the Application Guide are directly related to the Grants.gov downloadable forms currently used with most NIH opportunities. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.

Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.

By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:

• Descriptive title of proposed activity
• Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
• Names of other key personnel
• Participating institution(s)
• Number and title of this funding opportunity

The letter of intent should be sent to:

Sally E. Tilotta, PhD
Scientific Review Officer
Scientific Review Branch
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
P.O. Box 12233; Mail drop K3-03
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Telephone: 919-541-1446
Fax: 301-451-5715
Email: [email protected]

For Courier delivery:
530 Davis Drive, Room 3076
Morrisville, NC 27560

Component Types Available in ASSIST	Research Strategy/Program Plan Page Limits
Overall	12
HWWTP	12
ECWTP	12
HDPTP	12

Additional page limits described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

The following section supplements the instructions found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, and should be used for preparing a multi-component application.

The application should consist of the following components:

Overall: Required

• Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program (HWWTP): Required; Maximum of 1
• Environmental Careers Worker Training Program (ECWTP): Optional: Maximum of 1
• Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training Program (HDPTP): Optional, Maximum of 1

Note: Applications must successfully meet these minimum requirements without exceeding a total of 3 training components.

When preparing your application in ASSIST, use Component Type Overall .

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.

SF424 (R&R) Cover (Overall)

Complete entire form.

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement (Overall)

Note: Human Embryonic Stem Cell lines from other components should be repeated in cell line table in Overall component.

Research & Related Other Project Information (Overall)

Follow standard instructions.

Program Summary/Abstract. Applicants must include a Program Summary/Abstract that briefly describes the problem(s) being addressed by the Overall Training Center, how the Center addresses the target problem(s) related to hazardous materials, waste, emergency and chemical response and the associated training plan to accomplish this task. As opposed to a generic description of the Center components, the Project Summary should provide an overall indication of what the Center proposes. For example, the summary should state the application's broad, long-term objectives and specific aims for worker health and safety training and should be a preview to reviewers as to program scope and content. As such, it is essential that it capture the character of the proposed training program. It should describe the proposed hazardous material and waste worker populations targeted for training including: size, types of work, and geographic locations. It should project the number of workers anticipated to be trained.

Project Narrative: "Project Narrative" (i.e. the "public health relevance" statement) should clearly address the relevance of the Training Center’s ability to conduct training to address environmental and hazardous waste threat to the public health of workers, communities and WTP stakeholders. WTP’s primary stakeholders are programs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), OSHA, DHS and NIOSH. Additional stakeholders include other Federal agencies, State, local, and Tribal entities responsible for training workers who enter or response to releases or spills at sites impacted by hazardous substances, as well as the individuals and communities living near these sites.

Other Attachments: The following "Other Attachment" should be included with the overall component in order to aid in the review of applications. The filename provided for each attachment will be the name used for the bookmark in the application image

Training Center Organizational Structure. Applicants should include a diagram of the organizational structure of the Training Center. This diagram should demonstrate how the interactions between the different Center components achieve the mandate-driven goals of the Center. The diagram should be loaded as a file titled "Training Center Organizational Structure". In this diagram, applicants should clearly indicate the program component(s).

Project/Performance Site Location(s) (Overall)

Enter primary site only.

A summary of Project/Performance Sites in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons compiled from data collected in the other components will be generated upon submission.

Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Overall)

Include only the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) and any multi-PDs/PIs (if applicable to this FOA) for the entire application.

A summary of Senior/Key Persons followed by their Biographical Sketches in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons will be generated upon submission.

Budget (Overall)

The only budget information included in the Overall component is the Estimated Project Funding section of the SF424 (R&R) Cover.

A budget summary in the Overall section of the assembled application image in eRA Commons compiled from detailed budget data collected in the other components will be generated upon submission.

PHS 398 Research Plan (Overall)

Specific Aims: For the Overall Component, applicants must briefly describe the aims and the problem(s) being addressed by the Overall Training Center, how the Center addresses the target problem(s) related to hazardous materials, waste, emergency and chemical response and the associated training plan to accomplish this task. As opposed to a generic description of the Center components, these specific aims should provide an overall indication of what the Center proposes. For example, the applicant should state the application's broad, long-term objectives and specific aims for worker health and safety training. It is essential that it capture the character of the proposed training program. It should describe the proposed hazardous material and waste worker populations targeted for training including: size, types of work, and geographic locations. It should project the number of workers anticipated to be trained.

Research Strategy: Applicants must include an overview of the Training Center. In this section, applicants should clearly describe the problem(s) being addressed by the Overall Center, how the components of the Training Center interact to solve the target problem(s), and the role of each program component in contributing to resolving the problem(s) related to protecting and training workers from the health effects, risk, and exposure to hazardous substances during the response, cleanup and recovery operations as it relates to the specific target populations. The Training Center should also describe how they will develop or use their institutional competency and experience to provide appropriate model training and education programs to hazardous materials and waste workers. In addition, the applicant should describe how each program component will work to respond to key specific components of the NIEHS and the NIEHS WTP Strategic Plans For the NIEHS Strategic Plan, NIEHS WTP and its programs are actively involved under Goals 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11;

• Goal 5: Identify and respond to emerging environmental threats to human health, on both a local and global scale.
• Goal 6: Establish an environmental health disparities research agenda to understand the disproportionate risks of disease, and to define and support public health and prevention solutions in affected populations.
• Goal 9: Inspire a diverse and well-trained cadre of scientists to move our transformative environmental health science forward, and train the next generation of EHS leaders from a wider range of scientific disciplines and diverse backgrounds.
• Goal 10: Evaluate the economic impact of policies, practices, and behaviors that reduce exposure to environmental toxicants, through prevention of disease and disabilities, and invest in research programs to test how prevention improves public health and minimizes economic burden.
• Goal 11: Promote bidirectional communication and collaboration between researchers and stakeholders, e.g., policy-makers, clinicians, intervention and prevention practitioners, and the public, in order to advance research translation in the environmental health sciences.

For the NIEHS WTP Strategic Plan, applicants should review the NIEHS WTP Strategic Priorities including the Mission Priorities, Organizational Priorities and Key Challenges as they set the framework for how our program uses the environmental sciences to reduce risk and protect worker and public health through training

Resource Sharing Plan: Not Applicable

Appendix: Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. . Include in the appendix a table of contents of the appendices.

Include a Description of Curricula including the curricula to be used, distribution of course materials, and conduct of direct worker training. Describe in outline form the applicable standards, curricula components, modules, learning objectives and performance measures. The outline for each curriculum must not exceed two pages in length and should be included in the appendix only. Do not include copies of the actual curricula as appendix material.

When preparing your application in ASSIST, use Component Type HWWTP.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.

SF424 (R&R) Cover (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

Complete only the following fields:

• Applicant Information
• Type of Applicant (optional)
• Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project
• Proposed Project Start/Ending Dates

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

Enter Human Embryonic Stem Cells in each relevant component.

Research & Related Other Project Information (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

Human Subjects: Answer only the Are Human Subjects Involved? and 'Is the Project Exempt from Federal regulations? questions.

Vertebrate Animals: Answer only the Are Vertebrate Animals Used? question.

Project Narrative: Do not complete. Note: ASSIST screens will show an asterisk for this attachment indicating it is required. However, eRA systems only enforce this requirement in the Overall component and applications will not receive an error if omitted in other components.

Project /Performance Site Location(s) (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

List all performance sites that apply to the specific component.

Note: The Project Performance Site form allows up to 300 sites, prior to using additional attachment for additional entries.

Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

• In the Project Director/Principal Investigator section of the form, use Project Role of Other with Category of Project Lead and provide a valid eRA Commons ID in the Credential field.
• In the additional Senior/Key Profiles section, list Senior/Key persons that are working in the component.
• Include a single Biographical Sketch for each Senior/Key person listed in the application regardless of the number of components in which they participate. When a Senior/Key person is listed in multiple components, the Biographical Sketch can be included in any one component.
• If more than 100 Senior/Key persons are included in a component, the Additional Senior Key Person attachments should be used.

Budget (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

Budget forms appropriate for the specific component will be included in the application package. Allowable indirect costs for this program are limited to 8% of a modified indirect cost base which excludes amounts over the first $25,000 for each consortia agreement, equipment costs, and tuition and related trainee fees.

Funding should be requested for travel as each awardee is required to meet at least twice annually to review progress, share information and to coordinate training activities.

Note: The R&R Budget form included in many of the component types allows for up to 100 Senior/Key Persons in section A and 100 Equipment Items in section C prior to using attachments for additional entries. All other SF424 (R&R) instructions apply.

PHS 398 Research Plan (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

Specific Aims: State the objectives and specific aims for worker health and safety training. Describe the proposed hazardous material and waste worker populations targeted for training including: size, types of work, and geographic locations. Project the number of workers anticipated to be trained.

Research Strategy: State the broad, long-term objectives and concisely and realistically describe what the proposed training is intended to accomplish. This section should include the following: Background and Significance; Progress Report/Compliance with Terms of Prior Awards, Administration, Staff, and Advisory Board; Target Populations; and Training Plan.

a. Background and Significance.

• Briefly sketch the relevant background and the need for the proposed health and safety training. Give the rationale for the proposed training program. Applicants must strongly document the organization's past success in performance and effectiveness in planning, implementing, and operating worker health and safety training programs and employing adult education techniques. Give a summary of worker health and safety activities for the last five years for the major participating organizations in the proposed program. Emphasis should be placed on worker health and safety training and education experience including information on the students trained and their jobs, type of worker health and safety training given, number of workers trained, training duration, outreach activities, and new advances in training.

b. Progress Report/Compliance with Terms of Prior Award(s).

• Applicants who are presently being funded under this program should provide a progress report of their activities. This should include description of efforts to meet established terms and conditions, attainment of program goals and objectives of prior awards, ability to manage and expend funds in a timely manner in prior budget periods and a summary of collaborative efforts with other awardees and NIEHS program staff.

c. Administration, Staff, and Advisory Board.

• Describe the administrative structure of the proposed program and the distribution of responsibilities within it, including the means by which the PD/PI will obtain continuing advice with respect to the operation of the program. Describe the expertise of the membership of the external board, detailed plans on when the board will meet, how the board will evaluate training activities, and what formal procedures the board will follow to provide advice to the PD/PI. The advice should include at a minimum incorporation of student feedback mechanisms; review of course critiques and Board of Advisors evaluations and other appropriate evaluations and quality assurance procedures. Provide an organizational chart of the proposed program component if it is different from the Overall.
  
  
• Describe the extent to which participating faculty members have collaborated with the program in the past. List technical support staff members and identify their roles in the program.
  
  A biographical sketch must be provided for each member of the faculty or staff detailing qualifications and experience (Follow the instructions on the "Biographical Sketch Format Page.)

• Provide evidence of lines of responsibility and accountability and this evidence must be clearly delineated when two or more organizations are collaborating on an activity.
  Provide detailed plans for collaboration.
  
  
• Describe the program's experience with adult education.
  
  
• Document the faculty members' relevant experience and training in appropriate adult education techniques in the area of worker health and safety. This could include but is not limited to toxicology, and industrial hygiene.

• It is intended that offsite instruction funded by the NIEHS assistance program will be supplemented with onsite training under the direct supervision of trained, experienced personnel at the time of initial job assignment. Provide details of an external board of advisors that represents user populations, labor, industry, governmental agencies, academic institutions or professional associations with interest and expertise in worker health and safety training related to hazardous materials and waste operations and emergency response.

d. Target Population(s)

• Describe methods and techniques to be used for identifying and accessing target specific worker population(s), whether organized or not, that are engaged in hazardous materials and waste operations and transportation and related emergency response to be trained. Specific descriptions of targeted training populations should reflect the respective regulations of EPA, OSHA, etc. Describe the population(s) to be trained, including size of the target population(s), worker profiles, trades and job categories to be trained, types of hazardous materials and waste operations and emergency response, geographic locations of workers and the degree of health and safety training already received. Provide documented assurances of access to these populations for training and identify the target populations requiring training according to EPA, OSHA, and/or DOT statutory authority.
  
  
• Describe the qualifications of prospective students and the criteria and procedures by which students will be selected. Describe outreach and recruitment plans. Describe the type and give the number of workers who have applied for worker health and safety training given by your organization over the last five years and the number of workers who have completed this training and the resulting benefit of the program to the student and their employers.

e. Training Program

• Describe the proposed training program including the number of students to be trained, durations of training and anticipated course content and training objectives. Document the program's achievement of the minimum criteria for worker health and safety training for hazardous waste operations and emergency response.
  
  
• Describe curricula to be used, distribution of course materials, and conduct of direct worker training.
  
  
• Describe the extent of hands-on demonstration and instruction, which simulates hazardous materials and waste operations or emergency response. Describe methods for employing adult education techniques and approaches for training and evaluating instructors. Advanced training technologies, such as e-learning, when used, should be part of a blended learning approach that combines these new technologies with hands-on, small group and other learning activities. Both initial and appropriate refresher training will be covered. The plan must include involvement of appropriate health and safety disciplines.
  
  
• The plan must describe a system for tracking trainee employment in hazmat- related jobs and must provide evidence of methods proposed for evaluating appropriateness, quality, impact and effectiveness of worker health and safety training. The plan must include information on the training of instructors, including worker trainers, and on-going trainer development and support activities. Indicate how the proposed worker health and safety training will be integrated with other specialized training already provided to the proposed target worker population. Specify and highlight the integration of new program initiatives as identified in the FOA with your proposed training plan.
  
  
• Discuss plans for continuing the program independently beyond the cooperative agreement period.
  
  
• Plans for reaching underserved worker populations especially those disadvantaged in education, culture, or language or limited in literacy and access to training should be included. Provide evidence of arrangements to assure the inclusion of institutions and organizations, which have historical involvement and expertise in responding to occupational health disparities and environmental justice issues. For example, does your plan include a community outreach and involvement component which can augment the delivery of high quality training in order to promote toxic use reduction, emergency preparedness in the community, and community awareness of chemical process safety and pollution prevention? Applications should include plans for reaching underserved workers in the proposed target populations especially those disadvantaged in education, language skills or limited in literacy.

f. Quality Control and Evaluation Plan.

• Describe how each student's progress will be measured and how the student's performance will be monitored and evaluated. Describe methods and procedures for evaluating appropriateness, quality and effectiveness of worker health and safety training proposed. Evaluation protocols should quantitatively describe a process for assessing instructor effectiveness, trainee retention of knowledge and hands-on skills, and the positive impacts of training activities on work practices and overall worker protection from on-the-job hazards.

Resource Sharing Plan: Not Applicable

Appendix: Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Include in the appendix a table of contents of the appendices.

Include in the appendix a Description of Curricula including the curricula to be used, distribution of course materials, and conduct of direct worker training. Describe in outline form the applicable standards, curricula components, modules, learning objectives and performance measures. The outline for each curriculum must not exceed two pages in length and should be included in the appendix only. Do not include copies of the actual curricula as appendix material.

Planned Enrollment Report (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

Not Applicable

PHS 398 Cumulative Inclusion Enrollment Report (Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program)

Not Applicable

Environmental Careers Worker Training Program

When preparing your application in ASSIST, use Component Type ECWTP .

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.

SF424 (R&R) Cover (Environmental Careers Worker Training Program)

Complete only the following fields:

• Applicant Information
• Type of Applicant (optional)
• Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project
• Proposed Project Start/Ending Dates

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement (Environmental Careers Worker Training Program)

Enter Human Embryonic Stem Cells in each relevant component.

Research & Related Other Project Information (Environmental Careers Worker Training Program)

Human Subjects: Answer only the Are Human Subjects Involved? and 'Is the Project Exempt from Federal regulations? questions.

Vertebrate Animals: Answer only the Are Vertebrate Animals Used? question.

Project Narrative: Do not complete. Note: ASSIST screens will show an asterisk for this attachment indicating it is required. However, eRA systems only enforce this requirement in the Overall component and applications will not receive an error if omitted in other components.

Project /Performance Site Location(s) (Environmental Careers Worker Training Program)

List all performance sites that apply to the specific component.

Note: The Project Performance Site form allows up to 300 sites, prior to using additional attachment for additional entries.

Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Environmental Careers Worker Training Program)

• In the Project Director/Principal Investigator section of the form, use Project Role of Other with Category of Project Lead and provide a valid eRA Commons ID in the Credential field.
• In the additional Senior/Key Profiles section, list Senior/Key persons that are working in the component.
• Include a single Biographical Sketch for each Senior/Key person listed in the application regardless of the number of components in which they participate. When a Senior/Key person is listed in multiple components, the Biographical Sketch can be included in any one component.
• If more than 100 Senior/Key persons are included in a component, the Additional Senior Key Person attachments should be used.

Budget (Environmental Careers Worker Training Program)

Budget forms appropriate for the specific component will be included in the application package. Allowable indirect costs for this program are limited to 8% of a modified indirect cost base which excludes amounts over the first $25,000 for each consortia agreement, equipment costs, and tuition and related trainee fees.

List technical support staff members and identify their roles in the program.

Note: The R&R Budget form included in many of the component types allows for up to 100 Senior/Key Persons in section A and 100 Equipment Items in section C prior to using attachments for additional entries. All other SF424 (R&R) instructions apply.

PHS 398 Research Plan (Environmental Careers Worker Training Program)

Specific Aims: State the objectives and specific aims for worker health and safety training. Describe the proposed hazardous material and waste worker populations targeted for training including: size, types of work, and geographic locations. Project the number of workers anticipated to be trained.

Research Strategy:

State the broad, long-term objectives and concisely and realistically describe what the proposed training is intended to accomplish. This section should include the following: Background and Significance; Progress Report/Compliance with Terms of Prior Award; Administration, Staff, and Advisory Board; Target Populations; and Training Plan.

a. Background and Significance.

• Briefly sketch the relevant background and the need for the proposed health and safety training. Give the rationale for the proposed training program. Applicants must strongly document the organization's past success in performance and effectiveness in planning, implementing, and operating worker health and safety training programs and employing adult education techniques. Give a summary of worker health and safety activities for the last five years for the major participating organizations in the proposed program. Emphasis should be placed on worker health and safety training and education experience including information on the students trained and their jobs, type of worker health and safety training given, number of workers trained, training duration, outreach activities, and new advances in training.

b. Progress Report/Compliance with Terms of Prior Award(s).

• Applicants who are presently being funded under this program should provide a progress report of their activities. This should include: description of efforts to meet established terms and conditions, attainment of program goals and objectives of prior awards, ability to manage and expend funds in a timely manner in prior budget periods and a summary of collaborative efforts with other awardees and NIEHS program staff.

c. Administration, Staff, and Advisory Board.

• Describe the administrative structure of the proposed program and the distribution of responsibilities within it, including the means by which the program director will obtain continuing advice with respect to the operation of the program.
  
  
• Describe the extent to which participating faculty members have collaborated with the program in the past.
  
  
• Provide evidence of lines of responsibility and accountability and this evidence must be clearly delineated when two or more organizations are collaborating on an activity. Provide detailed plans for collaboration.
  
  
• Describe the program's experience with adult education.
  
  
• Document the faculty members' relevant experience and training in appropriate adult education techniques in the area of worker health and safety. This could include but is not limited to toxicology, and industrial hygiene.
  
  
• It is intended that offsite instruction funded by the NIEHS assistance program will be supplemented with onsite training under the direct supervision of trained, experienced personnel at the time of initial job assignment. Provide details of an external board of advisors that represents user populations, labor, industry, governmental agencies, academic institutions or professional associations with interest and expertise in worker health and safety training related to hazardousmaterials and waste operations and emergency response.
  
  
• Describe the make-up and role of the Advisory Board. Show plans for how they will be used to assure the quality of the training program including frequency of meetings and how they will advise the PD/PI. This should include:
  
  
• Describe the expertise of the membership of the external board, detailed plans on when the board will meet, how the board will evaluate training activities, and what formal procedures the board will follow to provide advice to the PD/PI. The advice should include at a minimum incorporation of student feedback mechanisms; review of course critiques and Board of Advisors evaluations and other appropriate evaluations and quality assurance procedures. Provide an organizational chart of the proposed program if different from the Overall.

d. Target Population(s).

• Describe methods and techniques to be used for identifying and accessing target specific worker population(s), whether organized or not, that are engaged in hazardous materials and waste operations and transportation and related emergency response to be trained. Specific descriptions of targeted training populations should reflect the respective regulations of EPA, OSHA, etc. Describe the population(s) to be trained, including size of the target population(s), worker profiles, trades and job categories to be trained, types of hazardous materials and waste operations and emergency response, geographic locations of workers and the degree of health and safety training already received. Provide documented assurances of access to these populations for training and identify the target populations requiring training according to EPA, OSHA, and/or DOT statutory authority.
  
  
• Describe the qualifications of prospective students and the criteria and procedures by which students will be selected. Describe outreach and recruitment plans. Describe the type and give the number of workers who have applied for worker health and safety training given by your organization over the last five years and the number of workers who have completed this training and the resulting benefit of the program to the student and their employers. Applicants for the ECWTP program should describe their plans to increase the number of underrepresented minorities for environmental training of persons who live near hazardous waste sites as referenced by the US House Subcommittee of Appropriations for VA, HUD and Independent Agencies in Report 103-311 (pp. 61-62).

e. Training Program.

• Describe the proposed training program including the number of students to be trained, durations of training and anticipated course content and training objectives. Document the program's achievement of the minimum criteria for worker health and safety training for hazardous waste operations and emergency response.
  
  
• Develop a training plan for a 5-year period for training areas across the country. Training must be provided for at least two separate cities/communities each year during the 5-year period for this program.
  
  
• Train students in the skills and knowledge required for different career opportunities in environmental restoration and construction. This experience should include the ability to:
  
  1) conduct pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship programs for construction and environmental remediation worker training, and other emerging environmental fields such as green jobs training;
  
  2) conduct mentoring programs aimed at assisting trainees in completing the training course;
  
  3) conduct basic construction skills training as well as specialized training related to environmental clean-up;
  
  4) conduct environmental worker training including hazardous waste, asbestos, lead abatement, and technician/sampling level training; and
  
  5) conduct basic worker health and safety training.

• Develop partnerships with local community-based organizations (as defined in the review criteria) to provide services such as:
  
  
• literacy training and related academic courses in reading writing, and math; life skills and or job readiness training, problem solving skills, understanding of self-esteem and team work in the application of technical knowledge to environmental and related problems; and environmental preparation and other related training.
  
  
• Develop formal arrangements with environmental cleanup contractors and hazardous materials employers for placing and keeping participants in environmental cleanup jobs.
  
  
• Develop strategies for increasing retention of participants throughout the various phases of the program.
  
  
• Provide evaluation of the retention of participants in the training program, effectiveness of the training program and stability.
  
  
• Develop a tracking program that describes the longevity of post-training employment of graduating training program participants, type of jobs, and specific types of sites where participants work.

Describe curricula to be used, distribution of course materials, and conduct of direct worker training.

• Describe the extent of hands-on demonstration and instruction, which simulates hazardous materials and waste operations or emergency response. Describe methods for employing adult education techniques and approaches for training and evaluating instructors. Advanced training technologies, such as e-learning, when used, should be part of a blended learning approach that combines these new technologies with hands-on, small group and other learning activities. Both initial and appropriate refresher training will be covered. The plan must include involvement of appropriate health and safety disciplines.
  
  
• The plan must describe a system for tracking trainee employment in hazmat- related jobs and must provide evidence of methods proposed for evaluating appropriateness, quality, impact and effectiveness of worker health and safety training. The plan must include information on the training of instructors, including worker trainers, and on-going trainer development and support activities. Indicate how the proposed worker health and safety training will be integrated with other specialized training already provided to the proposed target worker population. Specify and highlight the integration of new program initiatives as identified in the FOA with your proposed training plan.
  
  
• Discuss plans for continuing the program independently beyond the cooperative agreement period.
  
  
• Plans for reaching underserved worker populations especially those disadvantaged in education, culture, or language or limited in literacy and access to training should be included. Provide evidence of arrangements to assure the inclusion of institutions and organizations, which have historical involvement and expertise in responding to occupational health disparities and environmental justice issues. For example, does your plan include a community outreach and involvement component which can augment the delivery of high quality training in order to promote toxic use reduction, emergency preparedness in the community, and community awareness of chemical process safety and pollution prevention? Applications should include plans for reaching underserved workers in the proposed target populations especially those disadvantaged in education, language skills or limited in literacy.

f. Quality Control and Evaluation Plan.

• Describe how each student's progress will be measured and how the student's performance will be monitored and evaluated. Describe methods and procedures for evaluating appropriateness, quality and effectiveness of worker health and safety training proposed. Evaluation protocols should quantitatively describe a process for assessing instructor effectiveness, trainee retention of knowledge and hands-on skills, and the positive impacts of training activities on work practices and overall worker protection from on-the-job hazards

Appendix: Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Include in the appendix a table of contents of the appendices.

Include in the appendix a Description of Curricula and describe in outline form the applicable standards, curricula components, modules, learning objectives and performance measures. The outline for each curriculum must not exceed two pages in length and should be included in the appendix only. Do not include copies of the actual curricula as appendix material.

Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program

When preparing your application in ASSIST, use Component Type "HDPTP."

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions, as noted.

SF424 (R&R) Cover (Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program )

Complete only the following fields:
Applicant Information
Type of Applicant (optional)
Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project
Proposed Project Start/Ending Dates

PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement (Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program )

Enter Human Embryonic Stem Cells in each relevant component.

Research & Related Other Project Information (Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program)

Human Subjects: Answer only the Are Human Subjects Involved? and 'Is the Project Exempt from Federal regulations? questions.

Vertebrate Animals: Answer only the Are Vertebrate Animals Used? question.

Project Narrative: Do not complete. Note: ASSIST screens will show an asterisk for this attachment indicating it is required. However, eRA systems only enforce this requirement in the Overall component and applications will not receive an error if omitted in other components.

Project /Performance Site Location(s) (Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program )

List all performance sites that apply to the specific component.

Note: The Project Performance Site form allows up to 300 sites, prior to using additional attachment for additional entries.

Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program)

• In the Project Director/Principal Investigator section of the form, use Project Role of Other with Category of Project Lead and provide a valid eRA Commons ID in the Credential field.
• In the additional Senior/Key Profiles section, list Senior/Key persons that are working in the component.
• Include a single Biographical Sketch for each Senior/Key person listed in the application regardless of the number of components in which they participate. When a Senior/Key person is listed in multiple components, the Biographical Sketch can be included in any one component.
• If more than 100 Senior/Key persons are included in a component, the Additional Senior Key Person attachments should be used.

Budget (Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program)

Budget forms appropriate for the specific component will be included in the application package. Allowable indirect costs for this program are limited to 8% of a modified indirect cost base which excludes amounts over the first $25,000 for each consortia agreement, equipment costs, and tuition and related trainee fees.

Note: The R&R Budget form included in many of the component types allows for up to 100 Senior/Key Persons in section A and 100 Equipment Items in section C prior to using attachments for additional entries. All other SF424 (R&R) instructions apply.

PHS 398 Research Plan (Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Worker Training Program)

Specific Aims: State the objectives and specific aims for worker health and safety training. Describe the proposed hazardous material and waste worker populations targeted for training including: size, types of work, and geographic locations. Project the number of workers anticipated to be trained.

Research Strategy: State the broad, long-term objectives and concisely and realistically describe what the proposed training is intended to accomplish. This section should include the following: Background and Significance; Progress Report/Compliance with Terms of Prior Award(s); Administration, Staff, and Advisory Board; Target Populations; and Training Plan.

a. Background and Significance.

Briefly sketch the relevant background and the need for the proposed health and safety training. Give the rationale for the proposed training program. Applicants must strongly document the organization's past success in performance and effectiveness in planning, implementing, and operating worker health and safety training programs and employing adult education techniques. Give a summary of worker health and safety activities for the last five years for the major participating organizations in the proposed program. Emphasis should be placed on worker health and safety training and education experience including information on the students trained and their jobs, type of worker health and safety training given, number of workers trained, training duration, outreach activities, and new advances in training.

b. Progress Report/Compliance with Terms of Prior Award(s).

Applicants who are presently being funded under this program should provide a progress report of their activities. This should include: description of efforts to meet established terms and conditions, attainment of program goals and objectives of prior awards, ability to manage and expend funds in a timely manner in prior budget periods and a summary of collaborative efforts with other awardees and NIEHS program staff.

c. Administration, Staff, and Advisory Board.

Describe the administrative structure of the proposed program and the distribution of responsibilities within it, including the means by which the program director will obtain continuing advice with respect to the operation of the program. F

• Describe the extent to which participating faculty members have collaborated with the program in the past. List technical support staff members and identify their roles in the program.
• Provide evidence of lines of responsibility and accountability and this evidence must be clearly delineated when two or more organizations are collaborating on an activity. Provide detailed plans for collaboration.
• Describe the program's experience with adult education.
• Document the faculty members' relevant experience and training in appropriate adult education techniques in the area of worker health and safety. This could include but is not limited to toxicology, and industrial hygiene.
• Describing the program's experience with adult education.
• Document the faculty members' relevant experience and training in appropriate adult education techniques in the area of worker health and safety.
• Access to appropriate technical expertise including but not limited to toxicology, and industrial hygiene.
• It is intended that offsite instruction funded by the NIEHS assistance program will be supplemented with onsite training under the direct supervision of trained, experienced personnel at the time of initial job assignment.
• Provide details of an external board of advisors that represents user populations, labor, industry, governmental agencies, academic institutions or professional associations with interest and expertise in worker health and safety training related to hazardous materials and waste operations and emergency response.
• Describe the make-up and role of the Advisory Board. Show plans for how they will be used to assure the quality of the training program including frequency of meetings and how they will advise the PD/PI. This should include:
• Describe the expertise of the membership of the external board, detailed plans on when the board will meet, how the board will evaluate training activities, and what formal procedures the board will follow to provide advice to the PD/PI. The advice should include at a minimum incorporation of student feedback mechanisms; review of course critiques and Board of Advisors evaluations and other appropriate evaluations and quality assurance procedures. Provide an organizational chart of the proposed program.

d. Target Population(s).

• Describe methods and techniques to be used for identifying and accessing target specific worker population(s), whether organized or not, that are engaged in hazardous materials and waste operations and transportation and related emergency response to be trained. Specific descriptions of targeted training populations should reflect the respective regulations of EPA, OSHA, etc. Describe the population(s) to be trained, including size of the target population(s), worker profiles, trades and job categories to be trained, types of hazardous materials and waste operations and emergency response, geographic locations of workers and the degree of health and safety training already received. Provide documented assurances of access to these populations for training and identify the target populations requiring training according to EPA, OSHA, and/or DOT statutory authority.
  
  
• Describe the qualifications of prospective students and the criteria and procedures by which students will be selected. Describe outreach and recruitment plans. Describe the type and give the number of workers who have applied for worker health and safety training given by your organization over the last five years and the number of workers who have completed this training and the resulting benefit of the program to the student and their employers.

e. Training Program.

• Describe the proposed training program including the number of students to be trained, durations of training and anticipated course content and training objectives. Document the program's achievement of the minimum criteria for worker health and safety training for hazardous waste operations and emergency response.
  
  
• Describe curricula to be used, distribution of course materials, and conduct of direct worker training.
  
  
• Describe the extent of hands-on demonstration and instruction, which simulates hazardous materials and waste operations or emergency response. Describe methods for employing adult education techniques and approaches for training and evaluating instructors. Advanced training technologies, such as e-learning, when used, should be part of a blended learning approach that combines these new technologies with hands-on, small group and other learning activities. Both initial and appropriate refresher training will be covered. The plan must include involvement of appropriate health and safety disciplines.
  
  
• The plan must describe a system for tracking trainee employment in hazmat- related jobs and must provide evidence of methods proposed for evaluating appropriateness, quality, impact and effectiveness of worker health and safety training. The plan must include information on the training of instructors, including worker trainers, and on-going trainer development and support activities. Indicate how the proposed worker health and safety training will be integrated with other specialized training already provided to the proposed target worker population. Specify and highlight the integration of new program initiatives as identified in the FOA with your proposed training plan.
  
  
• Discuss plans for continuing the program independently beyond the cooperative agreement period.
  
  
• Plans for reaching underserved worker populations especially those disadvantaged in education, culture, or language or limited in literacy and access to training should be included. Provide evidence of arrangements to assure the inclusion of institutions and organizations, which have historical involvement and expertise in responding to occupational health disparities and environmental justice issues. For example, does your plan include a community outreach and involvement component which can augment the delivery of high quality training in order to promote toxic use reduction, emergency preparedness in the community, and community awareness of chemical process safety and pollution prevention? Applications should include plans for reaching underserved workers in the proposed target populations especially those disadvantaged in socioeconomic status, education, language skills or limited in literacy.

f. Quality Control and Evaluation Plan.

• Describe how each student's progress will be measured and how the student's performance will be monitored and evaluated. Describe methods and procedures for evaluating appropriateness, quality and effectiveness of worker health and safety training proposed. Evaluation protocols should quantitatively describe a process for assessing instructor effectiveness, trainee retention of knowledge and hands-on skills, and the positive impacts of training activities on work practices and overall worker protection from on-the-job hazards

Appendix: Do not use the Appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Include in the appendix a table of contents of the appendices.

Include in the appendix a Description of Curricula and describe in outline form the applicable standards, curricula components, modules, learning objectives and performance measures. The outline for each curriculum must not exceed two pages in length and should be included in the appendix only. Do not include copies of the actual curricula as appendix material.

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications before the due date to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.

Organizations must submit applications to Grants.gov (the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies) using ASSIST or other electronic submission systems. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH’s electronic system for grants administration.

Applicants are responsible for viewing their application before the due date in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.

For information on how your application will be automatically assembled for review and funding consideration after submission go to: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/files/Electronic_Multi-project_Application_Image_Assembly.pdf.

Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.

Important reminders:
All PD(s)/PI(s) and component Project Leads must include their eRA Commons ID in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the application is the same number used in the organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the System for Award Management (SAM). Additional information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See more tips for avoiding common errors.

Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by components of participating organizations, NIH. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.

In order to expedite review, applicants are requested to notify the {NIEHS} Referral Office by email at {[email protected]} when the application has been submitted. Please include the FOA number and title, PD/PI name, and title of the application.

2014 FOA Briefing Informational Meeting

A briefing for interested applicants will be held at NIEHS in Research Triangle Park ( RTP), NC on Thursday, September 18, 2014, from 1-5 PM in Rall Building, Rodbell Conference Room 101B at 111 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. NIEHS staff will explain the purpose of the Program, provide instructions about the application process, and answer questions. A summary of responses from the briefing, will be available upon request from NIEHS [email protected] and may be posted on an F&Q page at a later date. The briefing will be webcast live and available at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/webcasts/index.cfm

Visiting NIEHS and Directions- You must submit your contact information in advance to Mr. Clifton Baldwin at [email protected] or via phone at (919) 541-0303 to RSVP for the Informational meeting. All attendees must contact Mr. Baldwin by Monday, September 15, 2014, to attend the event

Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-13-030.

Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.

Each training program component will be reviewed and scored separately in addition to the overall application as a whole.

Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the training program to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the training program proposed).

Reviewers will consider each of the review criteria below in the determination of scientific merit, and give a separate score for each. An application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact. For example, a training program that by its nature is not innovative may be essential to advance a field.

Significance

Does the training program address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the training program are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field? Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in training workers? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will training be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, services associated with training that drive this field?

Investigator(s)

Are the PD(s)/PI(s), collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the training program? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, or in the early stages of independent careers, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project? Does the PD/PI strongly demonstrate the capacity for providing leadership and assuring productivity of appropriate worker health and safety training and education programs and for overall management of the training programs including quality assurance and program evaluation? Is there sufficient evidence of an applicant’s organizational structure or consortium, if applicable, that provides adequate knowledge and oversight of resources and administrative management of the program? Do the PD/PI and the proposed staff have the ability to manage complex training programs? Does the proposed staff have the demonstrated training experience using appropriate adult education techniques to assure effective direct training, and quality assurance in the area of worker health and safety training? Do they have appropriate technical expertise including but not limited to toxicology, and industrial hygiene.

In addition to the FOA review criteria above for the hazardous waste training program, the following review criteria are applicable to the ECWT program: Does the applicant demonstrate the ability to recruit workers from the target population for environmental cleanup jobs? Does the applicant have experience in conducting effective jobs skills training and worker health and safety training programs for environmental cleanup?

In addition to the review criteria for the hazardous waste program, additional review criteria applicable to the HDPTP only include: Is there evidence of appropriate technical and professional expertise of present or proposed key personnel for the development and delivery of hazmat disaster preparedness training?

Innovation

Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed? Is there evidence of inclusion of worker training initiatives and innovations?

Approach

Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the training program? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed?

If the training program involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, are the plans to address 1) the protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed? Are the methods and techniques to be used for identifying, describing, and accessing target specific worker populations for worker health and safety training and anticipated impact of the proposed program adequate?

Does the applicant provide detailed program plans for adapting existing curricula, training of instructors, distributing course materials, directing worker training, and conducting program evaluations?

Does the applicant provide adequate evidence of conducting model training programs for hazardous waste workers and emergency responders that shall satisfy minimum requirements as specified in Federal OSHA rules and other related regulations? Do the training programs meet the minimum requirements specified in the Minimum Criteria for Worker Health and Safety Training for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, updated in 2006 as a result of an NIEHS sponsored technical workshop on training quality that incorporates training issues such as the emergence of computer-based training and the training of workers to deal with the aftermath of terrorist actions.

Are the combinations of classroom instruction and hands on demonstration and instruction appropriate to simulate worker site activities and conditions?

Are there plans for independently continuing the program; for the generation of program income, if applicable; and for assuring the long-term viability of the program?

Is the training plan adequate for reaching underserved worker populations especially those disadvantaged in education, culture, or language or limited in literacy and access to training?

Has the organization or consortium demonstrated effectiveness in planning, implementing and operating appropriate worker health and safety training and education programs? Are they able to immediately initiate direct worker health and safety training, program evaluation, and related support activities?

In addition to the review criteria above for the hazardous waste training program, the following review criteria are applicable to the ECWT program:

Does the applicant describe partnerships or sub-agreements with local community groups, labor unions with apprenticeship programs, academic and other institutions, with a particular focus on minority serving institutions, and public schools located in or nearby an environmentally-impacted urban area to provide pre-math, science or other related education to program participants prior to, or concurrent with, entry into the training program?

Is there evidence of formal arrangements with environmental cleanup contractors and hazardous materials employers for placing and keeping participants in environmental clean-up jobs?

Is there an evaluation of the retention of participants in the training program, effectiveness of the training program and stability and longevity of post-training employment of graduating training program participants?

In addition to the review criteria for the hazardous waste program, additional review criteria applicable to the HDPTP only include:

Does the applicant demonstrate past experience in development and delivery of training for populations in high-risk facilities and for potential responders to disasters of national significance?

Does the applicant describe partnerships or sub-agreements for training development and delivery with local responder groups at potentially impacted high risk facilities and local, state and federal entities with emergency response capacity?

Environment

Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements? Are the facilities and equipment appropriate to support the described worker health and safety training and education activities, including hands on instruction? Is there evidence that the operation of training facilities assures the protection of prospective trainees during program delivery? Are there appropriate policies and procedures for assuring fitness for training and medical clearance?

In addition to the FOA review criteria above for the hazardous waste training program, the following review criteria are applicable to the ECWT program: Is there evidence of the applicant’s ability to track program participants for up to one year after completion of the program? Is there evidence of ability to conduct training in more than one geographically discrete location during the program year?

As applicable for the training program proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items while determining scientific and technical merit, and in providing an overall impact score, but will not give separate scores for these items.

Protections for Human Subjects

For research that involves human subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate the justification for involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk relating to their participation according to the following five review criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3) potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, the committee will evaluate: 1) the justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Human Subjects.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children

When the proposed training program involves human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of children to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.

Vertebrate Animals

The committee will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment according to the following five points: 1) proposed use of the animals, and species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers to be used; 2) justifications for the use of animals and for the appropriateness of the species and numbers proposed; 3) adequacy of veterinary care; 4) procedures for limiting discomfort, distress, pain and injury to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research including the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices; and 5) methods of euthanasia and reason for selection if not consistent with the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia. For additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please refer to the Worksheet for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

Biohazards

Reviewers will assess whether materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate protection is proposed.

Resubmissions

Not Applicable

Renewals

For Renewals, the committee will consider the progress made in the last funding period.

Revisions

Not Applicable

As applicable for the training program proposed, reviewers will consider each of the following items, but will not give scores for these items, and should not consider them in providing an overall impact score.

Applications from Foreign Organizations

Not Applicable

Select Agent Research

Reviewers will assess the information provided in this section of the application, including 1) the Select Agent(s) to be used in the proposed research, 2) the registration status of all entities where Select Agent(s) will be used, 3) the procedures that will be used to monitor possession use and transfer of Select Agent(s), and 4) plans for appropriate biosafety, biocontainment, and security of the Select Agent(s).

Resource Sharing Plans

Not Applicable

Budget and Period of Support

Reviewers will consider whether the budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable in relation to the proposed research. Reviewers will also evaluate the adequacy of the amount of grant funds necessary for completion of its objectives.

Applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit by (an) appropriate Scientific Review Group(s),convened by NIEHS in accordance with NIH peer review policy and procedures, using the stated review criteria. Assignment to a Scientific Review Group will be shown in the eRA Commons.

As part of the scientific peer review, all applications:

• May undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific and technical merit (generally the top half of applications under review) will be discussed and assigned an overall impact score.
• Will receive a written critique.

Appeals of initial peer review will not be accepted for applications submitted in response to this FOA.

Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines to the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. Applications will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications submitted in response to this FOA. Following initial peer review, recommended applications will receive a second level of review by the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council (NAEHSC)l. The following will be considered in making funding decisions:

• Scientific and technical merit of the proposed project as determined by scientific peer review.
• Availability of funds.
• Relevance of the proposed project to program priorities.

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the eRA Commons.

Information regarding the disposition of applications is available in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

If the application is under consideration for funding, NIH will request "just-in-time" information from the applicant as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be subject to terms and conditions found on the Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this website.

All NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards include the NIH Grants Policy Statement as part of the NoA. For these terms of award, see the NIH Grants Policy Statement Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart A: General and Part II: Terms and Conditions of NIH Grant Awards, Subpart B: Terms and Conditions for Specific Types of Grants, Grantees, and Activities. More information is provided at Award Conditions and Information for NIH Grants.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

The following special terms of award are in addition to, and not in lieu of, otherwise applicable OMB administrative guidelines, HHS grant administration regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92 (Part 92 is applicable when State and local Governments are eligible to apply), and other HHS, PHS, and NIH grant administration policies.

The administrative and funding instrument used for this program will be the cooperative agreement an "assistance" mechanism (rather than an "acquisition" mechanism), in which substantial NIH programmatic involvement with the awardees is anticipated during the performance of the activities. Under the cooperative agreement, the NIH purpose is to support and stimulate the recipients' activities by involvement in and otherwise working jointly with the award recipients in a partnership role; it is not to assume direction, prime responsibility, or a dominant role in the activities. Consistent with this concept, the dominant role and prime responsibility resides with the awardees for the project as a whole, although specific tasks and activities may be shared among the awardees and the NIH as defined below.

The PD(s)/PI(s) will have the primary responsibility for:

The PD/PI of each awardee has primary authorities and responsibilities to define objectives and approaches, and to plan, conduct, analyze, and publish results, interpretations, and conclusions of their studies and training activities. It is the responsibility of each awardee to develop the details of the training plan, which will be required to describe the technical approaches, target population access and recruitment, curricula modification, training methodology, and program evaluation procedures.

• Each awardee is required to meet at least twice annually to review progress, share information, and to coordinate training activities. PD/PIs and business officials are required to meet at least annually.
  
  
• Before use, awardees must submit draft copies of training manuals, instructor guides, course curricula and other materials developed for use in training activities supported by NIEHS to the NIEHS Program Coordinator to receive technical comments and suggestions regarding the adequacy, technical accuracy and suitability of materials to be used for worker safety and health training. Final copies of all materials developed with support from NIEHS will be transmitted in approved electronic format by the awardees to the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health
  
  
• Training for Hazardous Materials, Waste Operations and Emergency Response and made available to the general public, subject to any specific legal caveats on use or copyright protection.
  
  
• Each awardee is required to participate annually in two technical workshops, which coincide with the two annual awardee meetings, to be sponsored and planned by the NIEHS Program Coordinator. The technical workshops will present relevant and topical information to assure the continued high quality of worker safety and health training activities carried out by the awardees and encourage the exchange of significant information regarding effective training techniques and approaches.
  
  
• Each awardee is required to convene a Board of Advisors representing user populations, labor, industry, governmental agencies, academic institutions or professional associations with interest and expertise in worker health and safety training related to hazardous materials and waste operations and emergency response. The Board of Advisors must meet annually to evaluate training activities and provide advice to the PD/PI.
  
  
• Each awardee is required to have one individual assigned the responsibility for information technology transfer and dissemination as the point of contact for the NIEHS Program Coordinator. This person would ensure the effective communication and transfer of important training and administrative information to NIEHS and other appropriate audiences, including trainee tracking activities, computation and submittal of training data, coordination of special meetings/conferences, submission of curricula, and other training activities conducted by the program.
  
  
• Each awardee will retain custody of and primary rights to the data and the curricula materials developed under these awards, subject to appropriate Government rights of access consistent with current HHS and NIH policies. Awardees will retain custody of and have primary rights to the data and software developed under these awards, subject to Government rights of access consistent with current HHS, PHS, and NIH policies.

NIH staff have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below:

NIEHS Program Coordinators will have substantial programmatic involvement that is above and beyond the normal stewardship role in awards, as described below.

The role of the NIEHS Program Coordinator will be to facilitate, not to direct, the development of a high quality national worker training resource. These special Terms of Award are in addition to and not in lieu of otherwise applicable OMB administrative guidelines, HHS Grant Administration Regulations at 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92, and other HHS, PHS, and NIH Grant Administration policy statements.

The NIEHS Program Coordinator will coordinate activities of mutual interest and benefit to awardees and the Institute. The primary objective of the Worker Training Program will be to stimulate collaborative work between NIEHS and the awardees in the creation of model worker safety and health training programs. Substantial programmatic involvement by the NIEHS Program Coordinator will assure that there is not duplication of efforts or overlap in worker safety and health training delivery and program development by the awardees.

• In order to provide consistent use and delivery of existing curricula for high- quality worker safety and health training, the NIEHS Program Coordinator will ensure that there will be close coordination among awardees, other state and federal governmental agencies, and other training providers. Such program coordination between NIEHS and the awardees will make maximum use of worker safety and health training materials and curricula that have already been developed, evaluated, and used. Training materials developed by the awardees will be submitted for review by the NIEHS Program Coordinator for consistency, appropriateness and technical accuracy before the initiation of worker safety and health training activities.
  
  
• The NIEHS Program Coordinator will convene a working meeting at least twice annually to review progress, share information, and discuss technical issues and to coordinate training activities.
  
  
• The NIEHS Program Coordinator will provide ongoing technical assistance to the awardees through arrangement of technical workshops related to the substantive technical issues that affect the program. Technical workshops will bring together program directors from each awardee with the relevant technical experts from a number of scientific fields involved in hazardous waste, occupational health, environmental health sciences, and adult education. Examination of training technologies and technical issues which are specific to the program will be developed and coordinated through technical workshops, which will be held at least twice per fiscal year.
  
  
• To assure that training programs developed with assistance from NIEHS will comply with all applicable federal safety and health regulations, the NIEHS Program Coordinator will assist the awardees through continual involvement with other federal regulatory agencies. Operational monitoring by the NIEHS Program Coordinator will assist the awardees in complying with general federal statutory requirements regulating worker safety and health training activities.
  
  
• The NIEHS Program Coordinator will coordinate overall program evaluations to show the impact of the training on improving work practices, reducing work related injury and illness and to document the increased understanding of relevant environmental health sciences by workers involved in environmental cleanups, hazardous waste management and emergency response to chemical releases. While each awardee must have its own evaluation program, the NIEHS Program Coordinator will strive to assess the overall effectiveness of the training programs supported under the cooperative agreements in terms of the nation's needs and in relation to the target populations identified by Congress in SARA Section 126 and related statutes which are referenced above.
  
  
• NIEHS maintains a National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training for Hazardous Materials, Waste Operations and Emergency Response to assist awardees by providing information and technical support services to the PD/PIs of NIEHS funded hazardous materials, waste operations, and emergency response worker training programs. The Clearinghouse will also function as a national resource for the dissemination to the general public of program related information and curricular materials that have been developed by the awardees.
  
  
• An NIEHS Program Coordinator will be responsible for normal program stewardship of the award. The NIEHS Program Official may also serve as the NIEHS Program Coordinator.

Areas of Joint Responsibility include:

None.

Dispute Resolution:

Any disagreements that may arise in scientific or programmatic matters (within the scope of the award) between award recipients and the NIH may be brought to Dispute Resolution. A Dispute Resolution Panel composed of three members will be convened. It will have three members: a designee of the Steering Committee chosen without NIH staff voting, one NIH designee, and a third designee with expertise in the relevant area who is chosen by the other two; in the case of individual disagreement, the first member may be chosen by the individual awardee. This special dispute resolution procedure does not alter the awardee's right to appeal an adverse action that is otherwise appealable in accordance with PHS regulation 42 CFR Part 50, Subpart D and DHHS regulation 45 CFR Part 16.

When multiple years are involved, awardees will be required to submit the Non-Competing Continuation Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590 or RPPR) annually and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

A final progress report, invention statement, and the expenditure data portion of the Federal Financial Report are required for closeout of an award, as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting requirement.

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.

eRA Commons Help Desk (Questions regarding eRA Commons registration, submitting and tracking an application, documenting system problems that threaten submission by the due date, post submission issues)
Telephone: 301-402-7469 or 866-504-9552 (Toll Free)
Finding Help Online: http://grants.nih.gov/support/index.html
Email: [email protected]

Grants.gov Customer Support (Questions regarding Grants.gov registration and submission, downloading forms and application packages)
Contact Center Telephone: 800-518-4726
Web ticketing system: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/ContactUs.aspx
Email: [email protected]

GrantsInfo (Questions regarding application instructions and process, finding NIH grant resources)
Telephone: 301-710-0267
Email: [email protected]

Sharon D. Beard, MS
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Telephone: 919-541-1863
Email: [email protected]

Joseph T. Hughes, MPH
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Telephone: 919-541-0217
Email: [email protected]

James Remington
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Telephone: 919-541-0035
Email: [email protected]

Sally E. Tilotta, PhD
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Telephone: 919-541-1446
Email: [email protected]

Pamela Clark
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Telephone: 919-541-7629
Email: [email protected]

Recently issued trans-NIH policy notices may affect your application submission. A full list of policy notices published by NIH is provided in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92 in addition to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), Section 126(g) .