# Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training

> **NIH NIH U45** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $1,985,522

## Abstract

PROGRAM SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 The Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training (MWC) provides model training programs
to workers and residents who may be exposed to hazardous substances. This programming is delivered by 13
training centers in 9 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee,
and Wisconsin. Eight of the centers are equipment-based centers that focus most strongly on HAZWOPER
and related training for workers at designated hazardous waste sites; treatment, storage, and disposal
facilities; and in a broad range of emergency response roles. The five remaining centers are community-based
centers that focus on helping workers and residents, particularly those from underserved populations, to
recognize and react to hazardous materials in their communities. From 2015-2019, MWC training centers
provided 4,791 programs to 75,354 trainees for 521,407 contact hours, demonstrating the impressive reach of
the Consortium.
 The long-term goal of the MWC is to improve occupational and environmental health and safety throughout
the region it serves. In the shorter-term, the MWC's objective is to build capacity for workers to improve the
workplace and for communities of workers and residents to recognize, prepare for, and recover from
environmental exposures. To achieve this objective, the overall aims for the MWC are to facilitate delivery of
model training programs at MWC centers, enable training of diverse groups of participants who will not
otherwise receive enough training about hazardous substances, and continually evaluate and improve the
delivery of the MWC's worker and community training. Achieving these aims will allow the MWC to continue to
develop and implement innovative training, address emerging topics such as opioids and worker health, and
extend community resilience training to a broader context as needs arise.
 The experienced, creative, and dedicated trainers at MWC centers have successfully trained hundreds of
thousands of workers since 1987, increasing the collective training output over time and demonstrating
impressive impacts. The centers provide training to workers at industrial sites, government agencies, tribal
nations, healthcare systems, and elsewhere and to residents affiliated with faith-based groups, non-profit and
community organizations, and neighborhood associations. Reported impacts of training demonstrate significant
benefits to public health, particularly in the prevention and control of hazards. Participants indicate that they
learn how to act more safely, and return to their workplaces and communities after training with a motivation to
implement new procedures so that fundamental change will occur. From 2020-2025, MWC training centers will
collectively provide 4,864 programs to 82,009 trainees during 703,571 contact hours.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10059299
- **Project number:** 2U45ES006184-29
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter C. Raynor
- **Activity code:** U45 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,985,522
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1992-09-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10059299

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10059299, Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training (2U45ES006184-29). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10059299. Licensed CC0.

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