[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14945-14950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6861]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Announcement 123]
Grants for Education Programs in Occupational Safety and Health;
Availability of Funds for Fiscal Year 1996
Introduction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that
applications are being accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1996 training
grants in occupational safety and health. This announcement reflects an
initial response of CDC/NIOSH to an external review of the NIOSH
training and education programs which concluded that there should be
more flexibility in the definition of academic programs and of what
constitutes an Educational Resource Center. The Public Health Service
(PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease
prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2000,'' a PHS-led national
activity to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of
life. This announcement is related to the priority area of Occupational
Safety and Health. (For ordering a copy of ``Healthy
[[Page 14946]] People 2000,'' see the section Where to Obtain
Additional Information.)
Authority
This program is authorized under section 21(a) of the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 670(a)). Regulations
applicable to this program are in 42 CFR Part 86, ``Grants for
Education Programs in Occupational Safety and Health.''
Smoke-Free Workplace
PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-
free workplace and to promote the nonuse of all tobacco products, and
Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in
certain facilities that receive Federal funds in which education,
library, day care, health care, and early childhood development
services are provided to children.
Eligible Applicants
Any public or private educational or training agency or institution
that has demonstrated competency in the occupational safety and health
field and is located in a State, the District of Columbia, or U.S.
Territory is eligible to apply for a training grant.
Availability of Funds and Recipient Activities
CDC expects approximately $11,500,000 to be available in FY 1996.
A. Approximately $10,400,000 of the total funds available will be
utilized as follows:
1. To award approximately fourteen non-competing continuation
Educational Resource Center (ERC) training grants totaling
approximately $8,200,000 and ranging from approximately $400,000 to
$800,000 with the average award being approximately $600,000. An
Occupational Safety and Health Educational Resource Center shall be an
identifiable organizational unit within the sponsoring organization and
shall consist of the following characteristics:
a. Cooperative arrangements with a medical school or teaching
hospital (with an established program in preventive or occupational
medicine); with a school of nursing or its equivalent; with a school of
public health or its equivalent; or with a school of engineering or its
equivalent. Other schools or departments with relevant disciplines and
resources shall be expected to be represented and contribute as
appropriate to the conduct of the total program, e.g., epidemiology,
toxicology, biostatistics, environmental health, law, business
administration, education. Specific mechanisms to implement the
cooperative arrangements between departments, schools/colleges,
universities, etc., shall be demonstrated in order to assure that the
intended multidisciplinary training and education will be engendered.
b. A Center Director who possesses a demonstrated capacity for
sustained productivity and leadership in occupational health and safety
education and training. The Director shall oversee the general
operation of the Center Program and shall, to the extent possible,
directly participate in training activities. Provisions shall be made
to employ a Deputy Director who shall be responsible for managing the
daily administrative duties of the Center and to increase the Center
Director's availability to ERC staff and to the public. At least one
full-time equivalent effort shall be demonstrated between the two
positions.
c. Program Directors who are full-time faculty and professional
staff representing various disciplines and qualifications relevant to
occupational safety and health who are capable of planning,
establishing, and carrying out or administering training projects
undertaken by the Center. Each academic program, as well as the
continuing education and outreach program, shall have a Program
Director.
d. Faculty and staff with demonstrated training and research
expertise, appropriate facilities and ongoing training and research
activities in occupational safety and health areas.
e. A program for conducting education and training in four core
disciplines: Occupational physicians, occupational health nurses,
industrial hygienists, and occupational safety personnel. There shall
be a minimum of five full-time students in each of the core programs,
with a goal of a minimum of 30 full-time students (total in all of
programs together). Although it is desirable for a Center to have the
full range of core programs, a Center with a minimum of three
components of which two are in the core disciplines is eligible for
support providing it is demonstrated that students will be exposed to
the principles and issues of all four core disciplines. In order to
maximize the unique strengths and capabilities of institutions,
consideration will be given to the development of new and innovative
component programs that are relevant to the occupational safety and
health field, e.g., ergonomics, industrial toxicology, and occupational
epidemiology. Centers must also document that the program covers an
occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or meets a
specific regional workforce need. Each core program curriculum shall
include courses from non-core categories as well as appropriate
clinical rotations and field experiences with public health and safety
agencies and with labor-management health and safety groups. Where
possible, field experience shall involve students representing other
disciplines in a manner similar to that used in team surveys and other
team approaches.
f. A specific plan describing how trainees will be exposed to the
principles of all other occupational safety and health core and allied
disciplines. Consortium Centers generally have geographic, policy and
other barriers to achieving this Center characteristic and, therefore,
must give special, if not innovative, attention to thoroughly
describing the approach for fulfilling the multidisciplinary
interaction between students.
g. Demonstrated impact of the ERC on the curriculum of
undergraduate, graduate and continuing education of primary core
disciplines as well as relevant medical specialties (e.g. neurology)
and the curriculum of other schools such as engineering, business and
law.
h. An outreach program to interact with and help other institutions
or agencies located within the region. Programs shall be designed to
address regional needs and implement innovative strategies for meeting
those needs. Partnerships and collaborative relationships shall be
encouraged between ERCs and Training Project Grants. Examples of
outreach activities might include activities such as: Interaction with
other colleges and schools within the ERC and with other universities
or institutions in the region to integrate occupational safety and
health principles and concepts within existing curricula (e.g.,
Colleges of Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture, Law,
and Arts and Sciences); exchange of occupational safety and health
faculty among regional educational institutions; providing curriculum
materials and consultation for curriculum/course development in other
institutions; use of a visiting faculty program to involve labor and
management leaders; cooperative and collaborative arrangements with
professional societies, scientific associations, and boards of
accreditation, certification, or licensure; and presentation of
awareness seminars to undergraduate and secondary educational
institutions (e.g., high school science fairs and career days) as well
as to labor, management and community associations. [[Page 14947]]
i. A specific plan for preparing, distributing and conducting
courses, seminars and workshops to provide short-term and continuing
education training courses for physicians, nurses, industrial
hygienists, safety engineers and other occupational safety and health
professionals, paraprofessionals and technicians, including personnel
from labor-management health and safety committees, in the geographical
region in which the Center is located. The goal shall be that the
training be made available to a minimum of 400 trainees per year
representing all of the above categories of personnel, on an
approximate proportional basis with emphasis given to providing
occupational safety and health training to physicians in family
practice, as well as industrial practice, industrial nurses, and safety
engineers. Where appropriate, it shall be professionally acceptable in
that Continuing Education Units (as approved by appropriate
professional associations) may be awarded. These courses should be
structured so that higher educational institutions, public health and
safety agencies, professional societies or other appropriate agencies
can utilize them to provide training at the local level to occupational
health and safety personnel working in the workplace. Further, the
Center shall conduct periodic training needs assessments, shall develop
a specific plan to meet these needs, and shall have demonstrated
capability for implementing such training directly and through other
institutions or agencies in the region. The Center should establish and
maintain cooperative efforts with labor unions, government agencies,
and industry and trade associations, where appropriate, thus serving as
a regional resource for addressing the problems of occupational safety
and health that are faced by State and local governments, labor and
management.
j. A Board of Advisors or Consultants representing the user and
affected population, including representatives of labor, industry,
government agencies, academic institutions and professional
associations, shall be established by the Center. The Board shall meet
regularly to advise a Center Executive Committee and to provide
periodic evaluation of Center activities. The Executive Committee shall
be composed of the Center Director and Deputy Director, academic
Program Directors, the Directors for Continuing Education and Outreach
and others whom the Center Director may appoint to assist in governing
the internal affairs of the Center.
k. In research institutions, as documented by on-going funded
research and faculty publications, a defined research training plan for
training doctoral-level researchers in the occupational safety and
health field. The plan will include how the Center intends to
strengthen existing research training efforts, and how it will expand
these research activities to have an impact on other primarily
clinically-oriented disciplines, such as nursing and medicine. Each ERC
is required to identify or develop a minimum of one, preferably more,
areas of research focus related to work environment problems.
Consideration shall be given to the CDC/NIOSH priority research areas
of surveillance, work organization (including underserved populations,
occupational stress and ergonomics), control technology or intervention
research, and health services research. In addition to the research and
research training components, the plan will also include such items as
specific strategies for obtaining student and faculty funding, plans
for renovating or acquiring facilities and equipment, if appropriate,
and a plan for developing research-oriented faculty.
l. Evidence in obtaining support from other funds, including other
Federal grants, support from States and other public agencies, and
support from the private sector including grants from foundations and
corporate endowments, chairs, and gifts.
2. Approximately $250,000 of the available funds as specified in
A.1. will be awarded to ERCs to support the development of specialized
educational programs in agricultural safety and health within the
existing core disciplines of industrial hygiene, occupational medicine,
occupational health nursing, and occupational safety. Program support
is available for faculty and staff salaries, trainee costs, and other
costs to educate professionals in agricultural safety and health.
3. To award approximately twenty-five non-competing continuation
and fourteen competing continuation long-term training project grants
(TPG) totaling $2,200,000 and ranging from approximately $10,000 to
$500,000, with the average award being $56,000, to support academic
programs in the core disciplines (i.e. industrial hygiene, occupational
health nursing, occupational/industrial medicine, and occupational
safety and ergonomics) and relevant components (e.g. toxicology,
ergonomics). The awards are normally for training programs of 1
academic year. They are intended to augment the scope, enrollment, and
quality of training programs rather than to replace funds already
available for current operations. They must also document that the
program covers an occupational safety and health discipline in critical
need or meets a specific regional workforce need. The types of training
currently eligible for support are:
a. Graduate training for practice, teaching, and research careers
in occupational safety and health. Priority will be given to programs
producing graduates in areas (i.e., disciplines such as occupational
health nursing) of greatest occupational safety and health need.
b. Undergraduate and other pre-baccalaureate training providing
trainees with capabilities for positions in occupational safety and
health professions.
c. Special technical or other programs for training of occupational
safety and health technicians or specialists.
d. Special programs for development of occupational safety and
health training curricula and educational materials, including
mechanisms for effectiveness testing and implementation.
Awards will be made for a 1- to 5-year project period with an
annual budget period. Funding estimates may vary and are subject to
change. Non-competing continuation awards within the approved project
periods will be made on the basis of satisfactory progress and the
availability of funds.
B. Approximately $1,100,000 of the total funds available will be
awarded to ERCs to support the development and presentation of
continuing education and short courses and academic curricula for
trainees and professionals engaged in the management of hazardous
substances. These funds are provided to NIOSH/CDC through an
Interagency Agreement with the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences as authorized by section 209(b) of the Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 (42 U.S.C.
9660(a)(4)). The hazardous substance training (HST) funds are being
used to supplement previous hazardous substance continuing education
grant support provided to the ERCs in FY 1984 and 1985 under the
authority of Title III of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980 as amended by SARA for
the ERC continuing education program. The hazardous substance academic
training (HSAT) funds are being used to supplement continuing
industrial hygiene core program support to develop and offer academic
curricula in the hazardous substance field [[Page 14948]] primarily for
industrial hygiene trainees. Program support is available for faculty
and staff salaries, trainee costs, and other costs to provide training
and education for occupational safety and health and other professional
personnel engaged in the evaluation, management, and handling of
hazardous substances. The policies regarding project periods also apply
to these activities.
Purpose
The objective of this grant program is to award funds to eligible
institutions or agencies to assist in providing an adequate supply of
qualified professional and para-professional occupational safety and
health personnel to carry out the purposes of the Occupational Safety
and Health Act.
Review and Evaluation Criteria
In reviewing ERC grant applications, consideration will be given
to:
1. Needs assessment directed to the overall contribution of the
training program toward meeting the job market, especially within the
applicant's region, for qualified personnel to carry out the purposes
of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The needs assessment
should consider the regional requirements for outreach, continuing
education, information dissemination, and special industrial or
community training needs that may be peculiar to the region.
2. Plans to satisfy the regional needs for training in the areas
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment,
recruitment and current workforce populations. The need for supporting
students in allied disciplines must be specifically justified in terms
of user community requirements.
3. Extent to which arrangements for day-to-day management,
allocation of funds and cooperative arrangements are designed to
effectively achieve Characteristics of an Educational Resource Center.
(See A.1.a.-l.)
4. Extent to which curriculum content and design includes
formalized training objectives, minimal course content to achieve
certificate or degree, course descriptions, course sequence, additional
related courses open to occupational safety and health students, time
devoted to lecture, laboratory and field experience, and the nature of
specific field and clinical experiences including their relationships
with didactic programs in the educational process.
5. Academic training including the number of full-time and part-
time students and graduates for each core program, the placement of
graduates, employment history, and their current location by type of
institution (academic, industry, labor, etc.). Previous continuing
education training in each discipline and outreach activity and
assistance to groups within the ERC region.
6. Methods in use or proposed methods for evaluating the
effectiveness of training and outreach including the use of placement
services and feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers,
innovative strategies for meeting regional needs, critiques from
continuing education courses, and reports from consultations and
cooperative activities with other universities, professional
associations, and other outside agencies.
7. Competence, experience and training of the Center Director, the
Deputy Center Director, the Program Directors and other professional
staff in relation to the type and scope of training and education
involved.
8. Institutional commitment to Center goals.
9. Academic and physical environment in which the training will be
conducted, including access to appropriate occupational settings.
10. Appropriateness of the budget required to support each academic
component of the ERC program, including a separate budget for the
academic staff's time and effort in continuing education and outreach.
11. Evidence of a plan describing the research and research
training the Center proposes. This shall include goals, elements of the
program, research faculty and amount of effort, support faculty,
facilities and equipment available and needed, and methods for
implementing and evaluating the program.
12. Evidence of success in attaining outside support to supplement
the ERC grant funds including other Federal grants, support from States
and other public agencies, and support from the private sector
including grants from foundations and corporate endowments, chairs, and
gifts.
13. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the ERC and
its programs have had on the DHHS Region. Examples could include a
continuing education needs assessment, a workforce needs survey,
consultation and research programs provided to address regional
occupational safety and health problems, the impact on primary care
practice and training, a program graduate data base to track the
contributions of graduates to the occupational safety and health field,
and the cost effectiveness of the program.
In reviewing long-term TPG applications, consideration will be
given to:
1. Need for training in the program area outlined by the
application. This should include documentation of ability and a plan
for student recruitment, projected enrollment, job opportunities,
regional/national need both in quality and quantity, and similar
programs, if any within the geographic area.
2. Potential contribution of the project toward meeting the needs
for graduate or specialized training in occupational safety and health.
3. Curriculum content and design which should include formalized
program objectives, minimal course content to achieve certificate or
degree, course sequence, related courses open to students, time devoted
to lecture, laboratory and field experience, nature and the
interrelationship of these educational approaches.
4. Previous records of training in this or related areas, including
placement of graduates.
5. Methods proposed to evaluate effectiveness of the training.
6. Degree of institutional commitment: Is grant support necessary
for program initiation or continuation? Will support gradually be
assumed? Is there related instruction that will go on with or without
the grant?
7. Adequacy of facilities (classrooms, laboratories, library
services, books, and journal holdings relevant to the program, and
access to appropriate occupational settings).
8. Competence, experience, training, time commitment to the program
and availability of faculty to advise students, faculty/student ratio,
and teaching loads of the program director and teaching faculty in
relation to the type and scope of training involved. The program
director must be a full-time faculty member.
9. Admission Requirements: Student selection standards and
procedures, student performance standards and student counseling
services.
10. Advisory Committee (if established): Membership, industries and
labor groups represented; how often they meet; who they advise, role in
designing curriculum and establishing program need.
11. Evidence of a strategy to evaluate the impact that the program
has had on the region. Examples could include a workforce needs survey,
consultation and research programs provided to address regional
occupational safety and health problems, a program graduate data base
to track the contributions of graduates to the occupational safety and
[[Page 14949]] health field, and the cost effectiveness of the program.
Funding Allocation Criteria
For Educational Resource Center grants, the following criteria will
be considered in determining funding allocations.
1. Academic Core Programs
a. Budget to support programs primarily for personnel and other
personnel-related costs. Advanced (doctoral and post-doctoral) and
specialty (master's) programs will be considered.
b. Budget to support programs based on program quality and need.
Factors considered include faculty commitment/breadth, faculty
reputation/strength, national/regional workforce needs, unique program
contribution, interdisciplinary interaction, and technical merit.
c. Budget to support students based on the program level and the
number of students supported.
d. Budget to support research training programs to establish a
research base within core disciplines and for the training of
researchers in occupational safety and health.
2. Center Administration
Budget to support Center administration to assure coordination and
promotion of academic programs.
3. Continuing Education/Outreach Program
Budget to support outreach and continuing education activities to
prepare, distribute, and conduct short courses, seminars, and
workshops.
4. Hazardous Substance Training Programs
Budget to support the development and presentation of continuing
education courses for professionals engaged in the management of
hazardous substances.
5. Hazardous Substance Academic Training Programs
Budget to support the development and presentation of specialized
academic programs in hazardous substance management.
6. Agricultural Safety and Health Academic Programs
Budget to support the development and presentation of specialized
academic programs and continuing education courses in agricultural
safety and health.
For Long-Term Training Project grants, the following factors will
be considered in determining funding allocations.
Academic Core Programs
a. Budget to support programs primarily for personnel and other
personnel-related costs. Advanced (doctoral and post-doctoral),
specialty (master's), and baccalaureate/associate programs will be
considered.
b. Budget to support programs based on program quality and need.
Factors considered include faculty commitment/breadth, faculty
reputation/strength, national/regional workforce needs, unique program
contribution, interdisciplinary interaction, and technical merit.
c. Budget to support students based on the program level and the
number of students supported.
Executive Order 12372 Review
Applications are not subject to review as governed by Executive
Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.
Public Health System Reporting Requirement
This program is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting
Requirements.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 93.263.
Application Submission and Deadline
Applications should be clearly identified as an application for an
Occupational Safety and Health Long-Term Training Project Grant or ERC
Training Grant. The submission schedule is as follows:
New, Competing Continuation and Supplemental Receipt Date: July 1, 1995
An original and two copies of new, competing continuation and
supplemental applications (Form CDC 2.145A ERC or TPG, OMB Number 0920-
0261) should be submitted to: Henry S. Cassell, III, Grants Management
Officer, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry
Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop E13, Atlanta, GA 30305.
1. Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the
deadline if they are either:
a. Received on or before the deadline date, or
b. Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for
submission to the independent review group. (Applicants must request a
legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated
receipt from a commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal Service. Private
metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)
2. Late Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria
in 1.a. or 1.b. above are considered late applications. Late
applications will not be considered in the current competition and will
be returned to the applicant.
Non-Competing Continuation Receipt Date: November 15, 1995
An original and two copies of non-competing continuation
applications (Form CDC 2.145B ERC or TPG, OMB Number 0920-0261) should
be submitted to: Henry S. Cassell, III, Grants Management Officer,
Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,
Room 300, Mailstop E13, Atlanta, GA 30305.
Where To Obtain Additional Information
To receive additional information call (404) 332-4561. You will be
asked to leave your name, address and phone number and will need to
refer to Announcement Number 123. You will receive a complete program
description, information on application procedures, and application
forms.
If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained
from Adrienne S. Brown, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 300, Mailstop
E13, Atlanta, GA 30305, telephone (404) 842-6630. Programmatic
technical assistance may be obtained from John T. Talty, Chief,
Educational Resource Development Branch, Division of Training and
Manpower Development, National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4676 Columbia
Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226, telephone (513) 533-8241.
Please refer to Announcement Number 123 when requesting information
and submitting an application.
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of ``Healthy People 2000''
(Full Report, Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or ``Healthy People 2000''
(Summary Report, Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) [[Page 14950]] through the
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402-9325, telephone (202) 783-3238.
Dated: March 15, 1995.
Linda Rosenstock,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 95-6861 Filed 3-20-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P