Environmental safety and health training: Models to address occupational health disparities and environmental justice

The idea of brownfields redevelopment or reclaiming contaminated properties redevelopment is not a new one, however linking this to occupational health disparities and community access to jobs is. Communities across the country have struggled to redevelop neighborhoods to make them healthy, safe, livable, and most importantly sustainable. The NIEHS Minority Worker Training Program addresses one of the most important and significant problems with urban unemployment--workers lacking crucial technical and marketable job skills and experience on the job. The program also recognizes that the composition and culture of each community is different and that programs must include the community and local organizations at the core of the strategies to create sustainable communities. Holistic programs that develop career paths to address those most vulnerable to occupational exposures such as minority workers, those untrained, undocumented and lacking access to healthcare are the key to address the issue of occupational health disparities and environmental justice. Approximately 10,000 workers have trained under the MWTP with 70 % of those worker obtaining employment in environmental remediation and construction fields. These programs are the embodiment of environmental justice by providing for the fair treatment of low income and minority residents of environmental justice communities by providing the knowledge and training necessary for workers to meaningfully participate in addressing the environmental concerns in their community.  In this presentation, I will share the HHS Environmental Justice Strategic Plan, Education and Training Element as it relates to the MWTP and the upcoming report entitled "MINORITY WORKER TRAINING PROGRAM: Guidance on How to Achieve Successes and Best Practices” . The guidance will include information on innovative techniques to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these programs. It will also provide model strategies to address barriers to successful program implementation (e.g., trainees who lack access to transportation or trainees who have low educational attainment).