At a glance
Key accomplishments from the Training Project Grants (TPGs) in fiscal year (FY) 2020. Achievements include a study on wildfire smoke filtration, training in ergonomics, and success in recruiting minority students.
Introduction
NIOSH supports training in occupational safety and health through Training Project Grants (TPGs). Most TPGs are academic training programs that support undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate training. Located throughout the United States, these programs enrich the national network of graduate training the Education Research Centers (ERCs) offer. NIOSH supports TPGs for traditional degree training programs, as well as training needs for specialty groups.
Trainees, graduates, and employment by discipline
In academic year 2019–2020, the TPG academic training programs had 859 trainees. Of these, 259 graduated with specialized training in industrial hygiene, occupational safety and medicine, and allied disciplines. These allied disciplines included occupational health psychology, risk management, occupational ergonomics and engineering, environmental health, and occupational epidemiology. These current figures reflect an increase from the FY 2019 number of trainees (787) and graduates (256).
Table. Training project grant trainees, graduates, and employment by discipline, FY 2019
| Program Area | Trainees | Graduates | Employed in occupational safety and health field or seeking advanced training (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Hygiene | 286 | 78 | 78 (100) |
| Occupational Safety | 233 | 83 | 79 (95) |
| Occupational Medicine | 42 | 22 | 22 (100) |
| Allied Disciplines | 298 | 76 | 73 (96) |
| Total | 859 | 259 | 252 (97) |
Program achievements
Study on Indoor Portable Air Cleaners and Wildfire Safety
In the United States, the wildfire season continues to intensify in severity and duration, particularly out west. Wildfire smoke contains dangerous chemicals—mostly fine particulate matter or PM2.5—a harmful substance that can stay in the air for long periods. People can inhale it deep into their lungs, and studies show PM2.5 is linked to systemic inflammation and disorders affecting the heart and lungs; it is linked to increased fatalities.
Public health recommendations for wildfires include using an indoor portable air cleaner that removes particulate matter from rooms by moving air through a filter. According to research, this type of device can decrease PM2.5 levels in homes caused by wildfire smoke. However, data are limited on exposure to wildfire-sourced PM2.5 in office settings.
Led by one of its trainees, the Montana Technological University TPG studied the effectiveness of an indoor portable air cleaner in decreasing PM2.5 in offices and explored connections between outdoor and indoor PM2.5 levels during wildfires. Researchers found concentrations of PM2.5 in offices were like those reported outside by a local National Ambient Air Quality Standards monitoring station during a Pacific Northwest wildfire.
Scientists compared two identical offices—one with the device and one without it—during wildfire season. The portable air cleaner reduced the amount of PM2.5 inside the office by 73% during working hours and 92% during nonworking hours.
These findings show that indoor work areas, like offices, can have high PM2.5 levels during wildfires, but a portable air cleaner can lessen the problem and protect health. Researchers also created a method to improve their measuring instruments by correcting for overestimated PM2.5 levels. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene featured this study in FY 2020, and more than 500 people have read about the project.
Details:
- Control of Wildfire-sourced PM5 in an Office Setting Using a Commercially Available Portable Air Cleaner
- Outside NIOSH: Portable Air Cleaners: Making Indoor Work Safer During Wildfires
Training Successes from Texas A&M University
The Occupational Safety and Health Training Program at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center School of Public Health is a TPG, offering graduate training with concentrations in worker safety, health, and ergonomics. Trainees gain knowledge and skills in varied occupational safety and health areas including workplace wellness, occupational disease, ergonomics, user-computer interaction, industrial hygiene, industrial process safety, epidemiology, and other areas.
In FY 2020, TPG trainees completed research and developed new tools related to the safety, design, and human factors of the workplace. They worked with the Texas A&M Ergo Center and provided ergonomics task analysis and job description information, which allowed the center to examine university workers' varied postures on the job. Trainees also provided ergonomic evaluations at a local area hospital and for university employees who requested these to identify risks like repetitive tasks that can cause strains or other issues that cause musculoskeletal disorders.
These types of professional practice experiences provide invaluable training and leads to employment opportunities. In FY 2020, all 21 TPG graduates from Texas A&M were hired in OSH positions at the time they obtained their degrees or shortly after. These graduates are also eligible to apply for the Certified Safety Professional® credential because the Occupational Safety and Health Training Program is accredited through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
Increasing Diversity in Occupational Safety and Environmental Health
Recruitment of minority students marks a key focus for the Western Kentucky University TPG. This grant helps to support undergraduate and graduate students in the university's Environmental and Occupational Health Science (EOHS) Program. These trainees gain knowledge and experience in public health, environmental health, occupational safety and health, environmental science and compliance, and injury and illness prevention.
The Western Kentucky University TPG carried out strategies in FY 2020 to recruit, train, and retain minority trainees in the program, with the goal of increasing diversity in both occupational safety and health and environmental health. Key strategies for recruiting minority undergraduate students included participating in college recruitment fairs and promoting the program's scholarships and professional opportunities. The TPG targeted high school students taking college courses and college students taking general EOHS courses. To recruit minority graduate students, TPG staff gave presentations during EOHS upper-level courses, promoted the program through the university's graduate school, and participated in the graduate school's recruitment events.
Information that the Western Kentucky University TPG recently obtained from interested parties, including environmental and occupational health managers, revealed an ongoing regional need for EOHS professionals. Its past graduates are currently working in these types of positions and impacting worker health in Kentucky and beyond.