Worker Training Program (WTP) — Hazardous Materials U45

NIEHS Worker Training Program — U45 Cooperative Agreement

Offers nonprofit and academic collaboration for worker safety training on hazardous materials handling.

The NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) delivers cooperative agreement funding under the U45 mechanism to nonprofit organizations, labor unions, and training consortia that provide health and safety training to workers exposed to hazardous materials. The program is authorized under Section 126 of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) and listed under CFDA 93.142. Active award examples include U45ES032171 and U45ES007850, held by organizations such as CPWR, OAI Inc., and The Sustainable Workplace Alliance. The most recent solicitation, RFA-ES-24-001, is available on grants.nih.gov. NIEHS holds an active project-management role as the funding agency — typical of the U45 cooperative agreement instrument — distinguishing WTP awards from standard grants.

Eligibility is strictly limited to nonprofits, unions, and training consortia. Academic institutions, for-profit companies, and individual investigators are not eligible as lead recipients. The training scope includes four subsidiary program areas: Hazardous Waste Worker Training, DOE Nuclear Weapons Complex Worker Training, the Environmental Career Worker Training Program (ECWTP), and Hazmat Disaster Preparedness Training. Applicants must demonstrate capacity to develop and deliver standardized curricula to workers at risk of exposure to hazardous substances and to reach populations in need of occupational safety skills.

WTP awards fund curriculum development, trainer training, worker instruction, and program evaluation activities. The cooperative agreement structure means NIEHS program staff participate in substantive technical and programmatic decisions during the award period. Organizations applying should review the most recent RFA on grants.nih.gov for current award amounts, performance periods, and required deliverables, as WTP is periodically re-competed. Pre-application contact with NIEHS's Worker Education and Training Branch (WETB) is standard practice for this program and strongly recommended before preparing a full application.