[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