Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Centers (T42)

1. Background and PurposeThe United States Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving a society in which all people live long, healthy lives. The vision, mission, and goals are found in Healthy People 2030, a PHS-led national activity to achieve better health in the United States by the year 2030. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is linked to the goals of Healthy People 2030, that are intended to prevent work-related diseases, injuries, and deaths while improving worker health, safety, and well-being.According to Healthy People 2030, more than 160 million people participate in the U.S. labor force, and their work has an intrinsic connection to their safety and health. Decades of public health surveillance and research have demonstrated that work-related injuries adversely affect employers, workers, and communities. Workplace settings vary widely in size, sector, design, location, processes, culture, and resources. In addition, workers themselves have different ages, genders, education levels, cultural backgrounds, health practices, vulnerabilities, and levels of access to preventive health care. This translates into great diversity and disparity in the safety and health risks for each industry sector and the need for tailored interventions.The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 mandates that NIOSH provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. NIOSH ERCs have a key role in meeting this mandate and contribute to the Institute’s core mission of preventing workplace injuries and illnesses. In 1977, NIOSH supported 9 ERCs in 9 states and 5 Health and Human Services (HHS) Federal Regions. Presently, NIOSH supports 18 ERCs across all 10 HHS Regions. Over 20,000 individuals graduated from ERCs in the core and allied disciplines in occupational health and safety from 1977 - 2020. As capacity in occupational safety and health practice and research has increased, the number and rates of work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities have decreased (BLS, 2021). The far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the vital role occupational health and safety has in the United States and beyond. From occupational exposures that led to illness and death to the mental and economic stressors the pandemic placed across workplaces and communities, ERCs responded rapidly to the needs of their students, staff and faculty and regional stakeholders by providing broad-based approaches to protection from the virus. This included guidance on proper use and decontamination of personal protective equipment, respirator fit testing, social distancing for worksites, and the use of physical protective barriers. Many ERCs developed communication products, resource guides, online courses, and webinars on safe work practices during the pandemic.As our nation and the world continues to recovers from the pandemic, ERCs will continue to train safety and health practitioners and researchers with the knowledge and skills to respond to natural, man-made, environmental, and public health disasters. Historically, ERCs have provided expertise in worker health and safety following events such as hurricanes (Katrina, Maria, and Harvey), the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, illicit drug exposures to law enforcement and emergency medical services, Ebola and influenza outbreaks. ERC's responses have included outreach activities and research training opportunities that highlighted the expertise of ERC's faculty, staff and trainees. Work-related illnesses continue to have a significant public health impact, and part of NIOSH’s mission is to train the next generation of occupational safety and health (OSH) practitioners and researchers. The National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce documents a significant shortfall in the supply of trained OSH professionals to meet demand in the United States. The report provided evidence of the continued need to support OSH training and education in the core and allied disciplines.Recent work by Felknor, et al (2020) speaks to the 'rapid and profound changes in the future of work that will have significant implication for the education and training of OSH professionals and the workforce'. NIOSH's network of ERCs is critical in developing OSH professionals prepared to respond to the changing nature of work. These changes are the result of technological advances, globalization, new and emerging risks, occupational health disparities associated with the changing demographics of the US workforce, climate change and other factors. The ERCs provide well-trained graduates and professionals for federal, state, and local government agencies; not-for-profit agencies; industry; academia; business; healthcare; and labor organizations. ERCs strive to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in the safety and health workforce through training, research training, continuing education, and outreach.ERC key personnel and trainees collaborate with stakeholders to develop innovative approaches to improving workplace safety and health, by the translation of research to practice (r2p) and prevention through design (PtD). NIOSH ERCs translate scientific discoveries into practice through effective training, research, continuing education, and outreach. To learn more about the breadth and depth of NIOSH ERCs, visit NIOSH’s website.2. ApproachERCs are located in accredited academic institutions across the country and provide graduate, post-graduate degree and academic certificate training in core and allied disciplines of OSH. ERCs provide interdisciplinary research training to identify, assess, address, and improve OSH. ERCs conduct outreach to increase awareness of work-related safety and health issues. ERCs provide continuing education on OSH topics to a broad range of participants to build capacity in OSH. Through comprehensive, integrated programs, ERCs improve the safety, health, and well-being of our nation’s workforce.Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In June 2019, NIOSH began an initiative designed to help NIOSH take substantive action to create greater diversity, equity, and inclusion in its workforce, the workplace and in its service to the public. This initiative led to the establishment of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Office at NIOSH under the Office of the Director. This strategic plan, that created this office, is intended to guide actions that specifically address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all aspects of NIOSH, including NIOSH's extramural programs.ERCs should demonstrate a commitment to DEI in all aspects of their center. This commitment should be reflected in the ERC's core values, mission and outputs, including diversity, equity and inclusion in student recruitment and retention, faculty hiring and retention, academic and research training content and focus areas, outreach, and continuing education. Relationships with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) should be developed. This includes strong partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Asian American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions to serve as potential pipelines for graduate and post-graduate students, as well as opportunities for collaboration in research training, continuing education, and outreach.Needs Assessment. ERCs must document that their proposed academic, research training, outreach, and continuing education programs meet specific regional or national workforce needs and demands. Surveys of employers, alumni, participants (from CE and/or Outreach activities), and other stakeholders may be used to document these needs.Regional Presence. ERCs should demonstrate collaborative efforts by working with a diverse and broad range of organizations, institutions, businesses, federal, state, and / or local public health and regulatory agencies, labor, worker advocacy groups and professional associations. For example, collaborations and partnerships with MSIs to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in worker safety, health and well-being in their region is expected. ERCs are strongly encouraged to engage diverse partners in their region and to facilitate synergistic approaches to OSH.Applicants must identify other ERCs, NIOSH supported Training Project Grants (TPGs) and other NIOSH-supported centers in their HHS Federal Region, and describe how they will collaborate and build capacity in occupational safety and health, while avoiding overlap of services.Objectives/Outcomes. Centers may have different strengths, experiences, research training opportunities, capacities and focus areas in training, education and outreach, but all should have objectives and outcomes that positively impact the US workforce. The objectives and outcomes should help NIOSH provide an adequate supply of highly qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of the OSH Act. NIOSH ERCs have a key role in helping meet this mandate and contribute to the NIOSH’s core mission of providing leadership to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses with a commitment of inclusion and diversity.Target Population. Through the NIOSH ERCs a broad range of worker populations may be positively impacted. The applicant should clearly describe the potential public health impact of their ERC through their academic training, outreach, continuing education, and research training (if applicable).Collaboration/Partnerships. ERCs should have a regional presence through collaborations and partnerships with key stakeholders in occupational safety and health, such as professional associations, worker advocacy groups, businesses, industries, and public health agencies. ERCs should work with other institutions and organizations, including MSIs and other NIOSH supported training programs to have a positive impact on worker health, safety, and well-being.Evaluation/Performance Measurement. Each ERC must have an Evaluation and Planning Core to carry out the specific aims and objectives of the ERC and plan for new, dynamic situations to promote worker health, safety, and well-being. Evaluation activities should be center-wide and for each ERC component. The ERC should define the metrics that will be used to measure and track outputs and outcomes. Specific information regarding evaluation can be found at: www.cdc.gov/eval.Translation Plan. When relevant to the goals of the ERC, applicants should describe how the findings and or training may be used to promote, enhance of advance the translation of the research into practice or may be used to inform public health policy to move the field of occupational health and safety forward. NIOSH has established a Research to Practice (r2p) approach to reduce or eliminate occupational illnesses and injury by increasing the transfer and translation of knowledge, interventions, and technologies into highly effective prevention practices and products in the workplace.Institutional Commitment. While the stability of an ERC may be enhanced by an institutional commitment of full-time faculty and administrative staff (ERC Center Director, Deputy Director and Program Directors), NIOSH recognizes the changing nature of work in academia. Justification should be provided if key personnel (ERC Center Director, Deputy Director and Program Directors) are not full-time employees of the institution, with an emphasis on the sustainability of the ERC. Recognizing many Americans are working longer and enjoying productive work, NIOSH has not made succession planning for ERC leadership a requirement in this funding opportunity. NIOSH funds may be used to defray the costs of salary support for faculty and staff directly related to the ERC activities. Faculty salary support may not exceed 50% (.50 FTE) for any one faculty member. The CE Program Director may be faculty or administrative staff and may receive up to 75% salary support (.75 FTE). Salary support for administrative personnel is not limited but should be clearly justified and within the 70/30 distribution where applicable.Travel for ERC Leadership. ERC Leadership should plan to participate in annual meetings to foster collaboration and strong communication with NIOSH and other NIOSH-supported programs. Center Directors should budget travel support for one meeting each year in the Evaluation and Planning Core budget. Program Directors for other components should include travel support for one meeting each year in their program's budget. ERC Composition and Budget Applicants may request up to $1.8 million each year in total costs (direct and indirect costs). Indirect costs are limited to 8% of total direct costs (exclusive of tuition, fees, and equipment greater than $5,000 and subcontracts in excess of $25,000). This is a training grant and the purchase of equipment must be strongly justified.More information on a complete application is provided in Part II, Section IV.ERCs are comprised of required and optional components. Required components are (1) Academic Training Programs, 2) an Evaluation and Planning Core, (3) a Continuing Education Program and, (4) an Outreach Program. Optional components include a Pilot Project Research Training Program and a Targeted Research Training Program.ERCs must provide high-quality graduate training in a minimum of three academic programs. At least two of the Academic Training Programs must be in the disciplines of Industrial Hygiene (IH), Occupational Health Nursing (OHN), Occupational Medicine (OM), or Occupational Safety (OS). Table 1 provides a summary of the funding information for the ERC required and optional components.Table 1. Summary of ERC Components ERC Cores and Programs Funding Information Required Optional Academic Training Programs There is a required minimum of 3 Academic Training Programs. At least 2 academic training programs must be from the disciplines of IH, OHN, OM, or OS. Additional academic programs may be in either a core or an allied discipline. There should be no more than 10 academic programs proposed. Applicants may request support for allied disciplines which they determine are, and justify as being, closely related and relevant to their regional or national OSH training needs. No minimum number of trainees is required for any one academic program. Applicants must fully justify the need for all programs and their capacity to meet training demand. Applicants may request trainee support for academic certificate training programs in core and allied disciplines. Trainee support for academic certificate programs is limited to tuition and fees and is included in the minimum 70% allocation toward direct Trainee Costs. Academic certificate trainees should be clearly identified in academic training program budgets. A minimum of 70% of the Academic Training Programs budget must go to Trainee Costs that provide stipends, tuition and fees, and travel. A maximum of 30% of the Academic Training Core budget may go to support training-related expenses that include salary support for faculty and staff, supplies, equipment, and non-trainee travel. This 70/30 allocation of funding may be applied across all academic training programs in aggregate (core, allied and certificate programs) and need not be applied to each individual academic training program. This 70/30 allocation applies to direct costs. X Evaluation and Planning Core includes Center Administration, Evaluation and Planning, Interdisciplinary Activities, Advisory Board, Executive Committee. An Emerging Issues Program is optional. Up to $280,000 direct costs / year X Continuing Education Program supports activities that provide high-quality learning opportunities and professional growth to occupational safety and health practitioners and other allied disciplines. Up to $150,000 direct costs/year. x Outreach Program supports activities with businesses, community groups, worker advocacy groups, local, state, and federal agencies, or other institutions within the region to implement innovative strategies that meet area needs in awareness and positively impact worker health, safety, and well-being. Up to $75,000 direct costs/year. x Pilot Project Research Training Program supports pilot projects of new investigators from the applicant institution or other research institutions in the ERC’s region. Up to $100,000 direct costs / year; each funded pilot project may receive up to $20,000 for a period of 12-18 months. X Targeted Research Training Program supports the research training needs of trainees and students from other disciplines who receive NIOSH support during their academic training program. TRT funds may also be used to support post-doctoral training in an OSH core or allied discipline. Up to $300,000 direct costs/year. A minimum of 70% of requested funds must go to support Trainee Costs that provide stipends, tuition and fees, and travel; post-doctoral support is limited to stipends and travel. A maximum of 30% may go toward training-related expenses that include salary support for faculty and staff, supplies, equipment, and non-trainee travel. X
Categories: Health.