A training program of:
Workplace Health and Safety Program – Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, Director
Western NY Labor and Environmental Programs – Arthur Wheaton, MLR/HR, Director
Worker Institute at Cornell University
This is an interactive 2-day curriculum to teach prospective and incumbent workers how to identify and mitigate risks and hazards in residential properties. It was developed by the Workplace Health and Safety Program as part of the National Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), led (and funded) by the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.
Topics include: heating, cooling, and ventilation; contaminants and hazards arising from inside sources, outside sources, biological sources, and building fabric sources; and others such as trips and falls, fire, and explosion. There is an emphasis on reducing allergy and asthma triggers.
The curriculum is delivered via PowerPoint presentations with interactive slides and an audience response system, as well as exercises, demonstrations, and hands-on use of monitoring instruments.
The Cornell Labor and Environmental Program coordinates the delivery of these workshops in Western New York in collaboration with a variety of organizations including: government agencies, environment, community and workforce development organizations, building trades, and employment agencies. The target audiences conducting the initiative in GHHI sites around the country include: weatherization/construction training programs, incumbent weatherization workers, and property maintenance workers. Initially, the training was designed to complement existing weatherization and lead hazard control trainings as part of the Buffalo and Philadelphia GHHI initiatives, and has begun to be used in other GHHI cities around the US.