[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 81 (Thursday, April 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-10112]
[Federal Register: April 28, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Announcement Number 123]
RIN 0905-ZA04
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Grants for
Education Programs in Occupational Safety and Health Notice of
Availability of Funds for Fiscal Year 1995
Introduction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that
applications are being accepted for fiscal year (FY) 1995 training
grants in occupational safety and health. 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 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
The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant recipients
to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all
tobacco products. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect
and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.
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 $11,472,000 to be available in FY 1995.
A. Approximately $10,422,000 of the total funds available will be
utilized as follows:
1. To award approximately ten non-competing continuation and four
competing continuation Educational Resource Center (ERC) training
grants totaling approximately $8,354,000 and ranging from approximately
$400,000 to $800,000 with the average award being approximately
$595,000. The following are the required characteristics of Educational
Resource Centers. 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; and 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
multidisciplinary training and education that is intended 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 core 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 of occupational
physicians, occupational health nurses, industrial hygienists,
industrial hygiene engineers 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). It is most desirable for a Center to
have the full range of core programs; however, a Center with three core
programs is eligible for support providing it is demonstrated that
students will be exposed to the principles and issues of all four core
disciplines. Training may also be conducted in other allied
occupational safety and health disciplines, e.g., industrial
toxicology, biostatistics and epidemiology, and ergonomics. 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 taught by
relevant medical specialties, including family practice, internal
medicine, dermatology, orthopaedics, pathology, radiology, neurology,
perinatal medicine, psychiatry, etc., and on the curriculum of other
schools such as engineering, business, law and the medical school.
h. An outreach program to interact with and help other institutions
or agencies located within the region. 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/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 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 defined research plan for the purposes of establishing a
research base within the core occupational safety and health
disciplines and within the ERC infrastructure as a whole, and for the
training of researchers in occupational safety and health. The plan
will include how the Center intends to strengthen existing research
training efforts, and how it will expand these research activities to
impact on other primarily clinically-oriented disciplines, such as
nursing and medicine. (In nursing, for example, the development of the
nursing research area should be consistent with national strategies
outlined by professional nursing and occupational health nursing
specialty groups to enhance nursing research productivity and to
increase the number of nurse researchers for the future.) 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, but not limited to, the top ten work-
related diseases and injuries targeted by CDC/NIOSH. 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 $247,000 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-six non-competing continuation and
thirteen competing continuation long-term training project grants (TPG)
totaling $2,068,000 and ranging from approximately $10,000 to $500,000,
with the average award being $53,000, to support academic programs in
the fields of industrial hygiene, occupational health nursing,
occupational/industrial medicine, and occupational safety. The
following are the types of occupational safety and health training
programs that are eligible for support. 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. 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 $1,050,000 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 (100 STAT. 1708-
1710). 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
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. 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 services including the use of placement
services and feedback mechanisms from graduates as well as employers,
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.
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.
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.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA)
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 93.263.
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.
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,
1994. An original and two copies of new, competing continuation and
supplemental applications (Form CDC 2.145A ERC or TPG) 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,
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, 1994.
An original and two copies of non-competing continuation
applications (Form CDC 2.145B ERC or TPG) 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, Atlanta, GA
30305.
Where To Obtain Additional Information
To receive additional written 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, Atlanta,
Georgia 30305, (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, Ohio
45226, (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) through the Superintendent of
Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325,
telephone (202) 783-3238.
Dated: April 19, 1994.
Diane D. Porter,
Acting Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 94-10112 Filed 4-26-94; 8:45 am]
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