U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm

DOT 168-09
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Contact: Patricia Klinger
Joe Delcambre
Tel: (202) 366-4831

DOT Grants $4 Million to Boost Hazardous Materials Safety Instructor and Employee Training

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a total of $4 million in Hazardous Materials Instructor Training (HMIT) grants to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the National Labor College, the International Association of Machinists and the International Chemical Workers to provide hazardous materials training for safety instructors and employees who handle these materials in transportation.

"Ensuring those who provide hazmat training have the best training possible for themselves is critical to improving safety," said Transportation Secretary LaHood. "These training grants will help protect employees that work in transporting hazardous materials and the communities they travel through."

Instructors trained under the HMIT grants program are in turn able to offer training to a larger number of hazardous materials employees.

The HMIT grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation¿s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are funded by user fees paid by shippers and carriers of certain hazardous materials.

More information on the grants program can be found at: http://hazmat.dot.gov/training/state/hmep/hmep.htm.