RFA-OH-25-002 Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Centers (T42)

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), invites grant applications for Education and Research Centers (ERCs) that are focused on occupational safety and health training. NIOSH is mandated to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the ERCs are one of the primary means for meeting this mandate. ERCs are academic institutions that provide high-quality interdisciplinary graduate and post-graduate training, research training, continuing education, and outreach in the core occupational safety and health disciplines of industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, and occupational safety, as well as allied disciplines. Research and research training are integral components of ERCs, with ERC faculty and NIOSH trainees conducting research on issues related to the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) and emerging issues to advance the field of occupational safety and health. NIOSH ERCs have regional presence to further diversify the occupational safety and health profession through their core values, mission statements, and outputs. ERCs serve as resources for our nation's workforce through continuing education, outreach and strong collaboration with professional associations, worker advocacy groups, businesses, industries, and public health agencies. ERCs work with other institutions and organizations, including Minority Serving Institutions and other NIOSH supported training programs to have a positive impact on worker health, safety, and well-being.

The goal of the training grant program is to enhance the quality and availability of safety training for United States commercial fishermen. Availability includes the frequency, geographic considerations, channels or partners of dissemination, culturally and/or educational appropriate training material, and other characteristics of a successful training program. As a result, the Coast Guard and NIOSH invite applications to support the development and implementation of training and education programs that: develop and deliver training which addresses the needs of commercial fishermen in the United States provide qualified marine safety instructors, or otherwise accepted by the National Maritime Center instructors and faculty to conduct the training evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the training program on reducing injuries among fishermen coordinate with existing training programs and partnerships with industry fishermen, and agencies conform to 46 U.S.C. § 4502 (i) Safety Standards for commercial fishing safety training In order to support and administer the grant program, the Coast Guard and NIOSH signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 17, 2018. While the Coast Guard, along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), provides regulatory oversight for safety and health matters within the commercial fishing industry, NIOSH is an agency operating under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the mission of generating new knowledge in occupational safety and health and transferring that knowledge into practice to prevent worker injury, illness and death. NIOSH conducts and funds scientific research, develops methods to prevent occupational hazards, develops guidance and authoritative recommendations, translates scientific knowledge into products and services, disseminates information, identifies factors underlying work-related disease and injury and responds to requests for workplace health hazard evaluations.

NIOSH is encouraging the submission of an application from qualified organizations for a National Center for Construction Safety and Health Research and Translation. Applicants are encouraged to propose multidisciplinary approaches and coordination for impactful applied and intervention research, hazard identification, and controls; develop partnerships for implementing prevention and intervention activities; and serve as a leader in research translation and research-to-practice for the protection of construction workers in the U.S. The Center will accomplish these goals by integrating and advancing research, research translation, best practices, policy and guidance, and capacity building. Center work should consider the NIOSH strategic plan and NORA construction research objectives. Center structure should take advantage of diverse scientific resources and focus on national worker safety and health issues. Centers should emphasize the creation and implementation of evidence-based solutions that address important construction industry safety and health problems. Collaborations with other academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and other occupational safety and health-focused groups are expected. Applicants must concisely describe the occupational health burden of important safety and health issues in the construction industry and discuss how focused research and outreach activities will help alleviate the burden and reduce numbers. Applicants should also clearly articulate the anticipated impacts of the Center’s proposed work, both during the project period and beyond.