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New England ConsortiumWETP Cooperative Agreement Awardee:Principal Investigator/Institution
Program Contact
Target Training Populations
TNEC has worked in concert with U.S. EPA Region 1and five Tribal Nations from four New England states over the last four years on customized contract training including 40-hour hazardous waste site worker, 24-hour emergency response and refresher courses. Program DescriptionThe New England Consortium (TNEC) provides training under the Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program; and it has built Hazard Disaster Preparedness Training into that program. TNEC also infuses its popular education worker-centered training with blended learning using enhanced training technology. The program has developed a nationally recognized computer-based Hazardous Waste Site Simulation (SIM) activity now used in its 40-hr. Hazardous Waste Site Worker H&S Training. The simulation is adapted to support NIEHS emphasized participatory Small Group Activity Method (SGAM) and Hands-On training. Overall, the program offers the following courses: 24-hour Emergency Responder, 40-hour Hazardous Waste Site Operations and Emergency Response, Refresher, Supervisor / Incident Commander / NIMS, and Awareness Level ER training, including Hazard Disaster Preparedness training related to chemical, biological, radiation/nuclear and explosive agents CBRNE. TNEC is now working with the MTA and the Massachusetts Public Health Emergency Preparedness Region II to develop a train-the-trainer program on pandemic awareness for school personnel. The participatory design of the training, using empowerment-oriented worker education methodology, is intended to facilitate a learning process in which workers find encouragement and support, as well as practice, to participate in workplace decision-making regarding H&S. TNEC also collaborates with the OSHA Education Center at Keene State University and the UMass Lowell Center for Industrial Competitiveness as well as undertaking efforts to partner with state agencies and municipalities in need of “all hazards” H&S training for emergency response, public health, and criminal justice personnel. The Consortium seeks to sustain the capacity of TNEC member organizations to lead and support the regional and national H&S movement. It supports the COSH organizations to strengthen their capacity as essential resources for high quality worker-oriented safety and health training that is technically accurate, and educationally appropriate. At the same time, TNEC serves to strengthen the University of Massachusetts Lowell's worker safety and health education capacities through its School of Health and Environment. Collectively, these organizations are working continually to build strong links among public health professionals, worker health educators, and labor movement health and safety activists in order to maintain high quality training for hazardous waste workers and emergency responders. Project Duration
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The Consortium offers training to diverse groups of workers including environmental
consultants, engineers, government employees, industrial workers, emergency responders,
health and safety managers, contractors, building trades workers, career firefighters,
service sector workers, and others. Workers and emergency response team members come from a
wide range of New England manufacturing facilities with a high likelihood for using
significant quantities of hazardous materials in production processes. These industries
include printing, auto-body repair, hospitals, clinics, health centers, colleges and
universities, dry cleaning plants, and utilities. Additionally, TNEC engages in many
important collaborations with public sector emergency response workers, such as the HazMat
Region 6 team in Massachusetts, multi-town volunteer fire services in New Hampshire;
municipal workers from wastewater and water treatment facilities, Region 1 OSHA inspectors,
the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) and staff from state Departments of Health and Environmental Protection.
Over the last ten years, TNEC has worked with a number of Minority Worker Training Programs in the states
of MA and RI. TNEC provided HAZWOPER training for six such programs: JFYNetworks - Boston;
Boston Connects - Roxbury, MA; Coalition For A Better Acre and Environmental J.O.B.S.
(Justice on Brownfields Sites) in Lowell; STRIVE (Support and Training Result in Valuable
Employees) - Boston Employment Service, Inc., Groundworks Providence and the Hartford, CT Jobs Funnel.
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