# Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program Collaborative

> **NIH NIH U45** · OAI, INC. · 2020 · $1,093,989

## Abstract

HWWTP - PROJECT SUMMARY ABSTRACT:
Chicago-based OAI targets three underrepresented worker populations: 1. Emergency First Responders &
Law Enforcement personnel whose departments lack resources and equipment for adequate training 2.
Transitional and Temporary Workers, many of whom are high-school dropouts or re-entering the workforce
following incarceration 3. Non Union & Underrepresented Workers, including Latinx environmental cleanup,
construction and female Vietnamese nail salon workers. The OAI HWWTP Collaborative, led by Principal
Investigator Salvatore Cali since 2016, comprises 13 key partners representing target populations in 19 states.
During the next 5-year grant period, the Collaborative plans to train 20,405 students generating 223,000 contact
hours.
Significance: The proposed training includes two new areas of focus- Infectious Disease Response and
Ammonia Safety Awareness. Training is intended to protect the health and safety of targeted worker populations
that are disproportionately affected by exposures to occupational hazards.
Approach: A key successful training strategy refined over the past 24 years includes deployment of the Train-
the-Trainer model that provides multiple benefits of extending training reach through the multiplier effect, building
local training capacity and enhancing training program sustainability. As demonstrated through successful
partnerships with YouthBuild USA, the state of KY and the CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, development of
local training capacity generates cohorts of peer trainers who are culturally competent, familiar with resources in
their areas and are most capable of customizing training and conveying critical health and safety information to
their audience.
Innovation: OAI will continue to utilize awareness of the Social Ecological Model (SEM) and introduce NIOSH
Total Worker Health (TWH) models that consider holistic training impacts. Strategies will include evaluations of
courses, curricula, and instructors as well as focus group interviews that will assess program quality and
opportunities for improvement. OAI will innovatively adapt its Learning Management System for Vietnamese nail
salon workers to access safety awareness training modules. This will cost effectively increase training access
and enable workers to quickly reference critical workplace safety practices in their native language.
Environment: OAI HWWT training underscores the importance of not only protecting worker health from hazard
exposures but also protecting the environment through effective response to, and mitigation of, environmentally
harmful contaminants.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10059287
- **Project number:** 2U45ES007850-26
- **Recipient organization:** OAI, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Salvatore Cali
- **Activity code:** U45 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,093,989
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1995-09-30 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10059287

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10059287, Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program Collaborative (2U45ES007850-26). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10059287. Licensed CC0.

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