Coronavirus and Infectious Disease Response Training

Program Summary/Abstract: This is a supplemental proposal for a coronavirus and infectious disease response training program to beimplemented by The New England Consortium-Civil Service Employees Association (TNEC-CSEA), apartnership between the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), four New England coalitions foroccupational safety and health (COSH groups) in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and NewHampshire, and CSEA, Local 1000 AFSCME, in New York. Since 1987, TNEC has been providing participatoryhands-on HAZWOPER training to workers throughout the New England region. In addition to HAZWOPERtraining, the COSH organizations provide a diversified set of health and safety training programs for laborunions, community organizations, school personnel, and other groups and individuals. CSEA represents300,000 public sector workers in New York State and has been part of AFSCME’s NIEHS WTP-awardedtraining program since 2003 and provided substantial direct training from 2007 until joining TNEC. CSEA hasbuilt effective internal health and safety management systems through site-specific hands-on training and usesa labor-management cooperative peer-trainer model with 150 active Peer Trainers, 24 of which have beeninvolved for ten or more years, and part of the Emergency Management Operations Protocol to be deployed inemergencies and disasters. TNEC/New England’s previous experience in infectious disease training includes:in 2008-09, delivery of seven 6 to 7 hour Train-the-Trainer courses on avian flu pandemic preparedness toMassachusetts public school teachers, who then delivered training back in their school districts; and in 2014,delivery of Ebola-related training to 190 workers including employees of the New Hampshire Department ofPublic Health, members of the Massachusetts State Police, and for leaders of the Massachusetts NursesAssociation. Altogether, TNEC will deliver 29 courses for 1,010 students for 2,920 contact hours in NewEngland. CSEA will complete approximately 145 sessions for 1,142 participants for 1,376 contact hours in NewYork of mostly interactive online coronavirus/COVID-19 and infectious disease response training. Thesetrainings will include: overview of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; workers’ rights; assessing exposure; prevention in theworkplace; personal protective equipment; keeping yourself safe; cleaning & disinfecting and returning towork; hazard communication/Safety Data Sheets; PPE for cleaning & disinfecting; cleaning & disinfectingdelivery systems; and mental health well-being. Our target populations are: 4,831,010 essential personnel inthe six New England states and 300,000 frontline workers in the public sector within New York state. TNEC-CSEA seeks to build sustainable capacity for CSEA peer trainers and TNEC/New England trainers to deliverongoing COVID-19 and infectious disease response trainings that will reduce exposures and increase thecapacity of employers and workers to identify and mitigate the occupational risk factors caused by COVID-19and infectious diseases with a focus on reaching vulnerable populations.