Hazardous waste worker training
The Role of NIEHS – HWWT
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program (HWWTP), administered through the NIEHS Worker Training Program, is designed to protect workers and communities by supporting high-quality occupational safety and health training for individuals involved in hazardous waste removal, containment, transportation, and emergency response activities. Established under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, the program funds nonprofit organizations, labor groups, universities, and training consortia to develop and deliver evidence-based, hands-on training that improves worker preparedness, reduces hazardous exposures, and strengthens national emergency response capacity.
Through its subawards and affiliated training partners, the HWWTP aims to expand regional and community-based training networks, reach underserved and high-risk worker populations, promote disaster preparedness, and build long-term workforce capacity in environmental remediation, hazardous materials management, and public health protection. The program’s subawards also support curriculum development, instructor training, outreach to disadvantaged communities, and career pathways that increase employment opportunities in environmental health and safety fields.
The NIEHS HWWT Program supports the goal of NPETE’s CCCHST Network and other programs, to make NIEHS-approved worker training nationally available through NPETE’s CCCHST Member organizations, offering hazardous materials instruction in nearly all states of the nation.
