[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26798-26802]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-12776]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Announcement 123]
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Grants for
Education Programs in Occupational Safety and Health, Notice of
Availability of Funds for Fiscal Year 1998
Introduction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that
applications are being accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1998 training
grants in occupational safety and health. The purpose of these grants
is to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out
the purposes of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This
announcement includes an expanded emphasis on research and research
training and an emphasis on establishing new and innovative training
technologies for both Educational Resources Centers (ERCs) and Training
Project Grants (TPGs).
CDC is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease
prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2000,'' a 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 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
CDC 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 Types of Training Awards and Applicant
Characteristics
CDC expects approximately $11,500,000 to be available in FY 1998.
A. Approximately $10,400,000 of the total funds available will be
utilized as follows:
1. To award approximately ten non-competing continuation and six
competing continuation or new Occupational Safety and Health 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. It is expected that other schools or departments with
relevant disciplines and resources shall be represented and shall
contribute as appropriate to the conduct of the total program, e.g.,
epidemiology, toxicology, biostatistics, environmental health, law,
business administration, and 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
[[Page 26799]]
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 core
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
academic programs that are relevant to the occupational safety and
health field, e.g., ergonomics, industrial toxicology, occupational
injury prevention, and occupational epidemiology; and to innovative
technological approaches to training and education. 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. Centers
should address the importance of providing training and education
content related to special populations at risk, including minority and
disadvantaged workers.
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 taught by
relevant medical specialties, including family practice, internal
medicine, dermatology, orthopedics, pathology, radiology, neurology,
perinatal medicine, psychiatry, etc., and on the curriculum of
undergraduate, graduate and continuing education of primary core
disciplines as well as relevant medical specialities 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. Programs to
address the under-representation of minorities among occupational
safety and health professionals shall be encouraged. 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.
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. Priority shall be given to establishing new and innovative
training technologies, including distance learning programs and to
short-term programs designed to prepare a cadre of practitioners in
occupational safety and health. Where appropriate, it shall be
professionally acceptable 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 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. A plan to incorporate research training into all aspects of
training and in research institutions, as documented by on-going funded
research and faculty publications, a defined research training
[[Page 26800]]
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, how it will integrate
research training activities into the curriculum, field and clinical
experiences, how it will expand these research activities to have an
impact on other primarily clinically-oriented disciplines, such as
nursing and medicine, and how it will build on and utilize existing
research opportunities in the institution. 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 identified in
the National Occupational Health Research Agenda (NORA). (This
publication may be obtained from NIOSH). In addition to the research
training components, the plan will also include such items as specific
strategies for obtaining student and faculty funding, plans for
acquiring equipment, if appropriate, and a plan for developing
research-oriented faculty.
l. Evidence in obtaining support from other sources, 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 thirty, non-competing continuation and
seven competing continuation or new 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.,
occupational injury prevention, industrial 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. Applicants must also document that the program covers an
occupational safety and health discipline in critical need or meets a
specific regional workforce need. Applicants should address the
importance of providing training and education content related to
special populations at risk, including minority and disadvantaged
workers. 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 of greatest occupational safety and health
need. Strong consideration will be given to the establishment of
innovative training technologies including distance learning programs.
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 long-term 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 the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA).
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 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. Plans to satisfy the regional needs for training in the areas
outlined by the application, including projected enrollment,
recruitment and current workforce populations. Special consideration
should be given to the development of programs addressing the under-
representation of minorities among occupational safety and health
professionals. Indicators of regional need should include measures
utilized by the Center such as previous record of training and
placement of graduates. The need for supporting students in allied
disciplines must be specifically justified in terms of user community
requirements.
2. 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.)
3. The establishment of new and innovative programs and approaches
to training and education relevant to the occupational safety and
health field and based on documentation that the program meets specific
regional or national workforce needs. In reviewing such proposed
programs, consideration shall be given to the developing nature of the
program and its capability to produce graduates who will meet such
workforce needs.
4. Extent to which curriculum content and design includes
formalized training
[[Page 26801]]
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 the integration of research experience into the
curriculum, field and clinical experiences. In institutions seeking
funds for doctoral and post-doctoral level research training (physician
training), 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.
14. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Objective Review Summary Statement and the grant application
Progress Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
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 a plan for student
recruitment, projected enrollment, job opportunities, regional/national
need both in quality and quantity, and for programs addressing the
under-representation of minorities in the profession of occupational
safety and health.
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. There should also be
evidence of integration of research experience into the curriculum,
field and clinical experiences.
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: 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
health field, and the cost effectiveness of the program.
12. Past performance based on evaluation of the most recent CDC/
NIOSH Objective Review Summary Statement and the grant application
Progress Report (Competing Continuation applications only).
Funding Allocation Criteria
For Educational Resource Center grants, the following criteria will
be considered in determining funding allocations.
1. Academic 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, distinctive program contribution, 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.
[[Page 26802]]
2. Center Administration
Budget to support Center administration to assure: coordination and
promotion of academic programs; interdisciplinary interaction; meeting
of regional workforce needs; and evaluation of impact.
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 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, regional workforce needs, evaluation of impact,
distinctive 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,
1997.
An original and two copies of new, competing continuation and
supplemental applications (Form CDC 2.145A ERC or TPG) should be
submitted to: Ron Van Duyne (ATTN: David Elswick), Grants Management
Officer, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry
Road, NE., Room 321, 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, 1997.
An original and two copies of non-competing continuation
applications (Form CDC 2.145B ERC or TPG) should be submitted to: Ron
Van Duyne (ATTN: David Elswick), Grants Management Officer, Grants
Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE., Room 321,
Mailstop E13, Atlanta, GA 30305.
Where To Obtain Additional Information
To receive an application kit, call (404) 332-4561. You will be
asked your name, address, and telephone number and will need to refer
to Announcement 123. In addition, this announcement is also available
through the CDC Home page on the Internet. The address for the CDC Home
Page is http://www.cdc.gov. If you have questions after reviewing the
contents of all the documents, business management technical assistance
may be obtained from David Elswick, Grants Management Specialist,
Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 255 East Paces Ferry Road, NE.,
Room 321, Mailstop E13, Atlanta, GA 30305, telephone (404) 842-6521, or
by Internet, dce1@cdc.gov. Programmatic technical assistance may be
obtained from John T. Talty, Principal Engineer, Office of Extramural
Coordination and Special Projects, National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
4676 Columbia Parkway, Mailstop C-7, Cincinnati, OH 45226, telephone
(513) 533-8241, or by Internet, jtt2@cdc.gov.
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) through the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325,
telephone (202) 512-1800.
Dated: May 9, 1997.
Diane D. Porter,
Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 97-12776 Filed 5-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-19-P
