This article presents an analysis of the essential elements of effective occupational safety and health education and training programs targeting under-served communities. While not an exhaustive review of the literature on occupational safety and health training, the paper provides a guide for practitioners and researchers to the key factors they should consider in the design and implementation of training programs for underserved communities. It also addresses issues of evaluation of such programs, with specific emphasis on considerations for programs involving low-literacy and limited-English-speaking workers.

Worker health and safety training is an important part of occupational health and safety programs. In the United States, governments, unions, employers, university programs, and health and safety advocacy organizations make training available. This article considers training effectiveness research conducted and supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and some done in collaboration with the Institute for Work and Health (Canada). Differing perspectives regarding the purpose of worker health and safety training are reviewed and critiqued. We assert that a focus on changing the working behaviors of workers exposed to hazardous conditions is less appropriate and scientifically rigorous than a focus on helping workers establish the power to reduce and eliminate workplace hazards. For training to lead to a decrease in morbidities and fatalities related to hazardous exposures, it needs to be integrated with workers’ attainment of such power.

A more comprehensive understanding of the health and safety technology transfer landscape, the various actors, and their motivators and goals will help to foster the successful commercialization and diffusion of health and safety innovations.

In response to the 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak, the Worker Training Program embarked on an assessment of existing training for those at risk for exposure to the virus. Searches of the recent peer-reviewed literature were conducted for descriptions of relevant training. Federal guidance issued during 2015 was also reviewed. Four stakeholder meetings were conducted with representatives from health care, academia, private industry, and public health to discuss issues associated with ongoing training. Our results revealed few articles about training that provided sufficient detail to serve as models. Training programs struggled to adjust to frequently updated federal guidance. Stakeholders commented that most healthcare training focused solely on infection control, and there was an absence of employee health-related training for non-healthcare providers. Challenges to ongoing training included funding and organizational complacency. Best practices were noted where management and employees planned training cooperatively and where infection control, employee health, and hospital emergency managers worked together on the development of protective guidance. We conclude that sustainable training for infectious disease outbreaks requires annual funding, full support from organizational management, input from all stakeholders, and integration of infection control, emergency management, and employee health when implementing guidance and training.

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In the United States, unions sometimes joined by worker advocacy groups (e.g., Public Citizen and the American Public Health Association) have played a critical role in strengthening worker safety and health protections. They have sought to improve standards that protect workers by participating in the rulemaking process, through written comments and involvement in hearings; lobbying decision-makers; petitioning the Department of Labor; and defending improved standards in court. Their efforts have culminated in more stringent exposure standards, access to information about the presence of potentially hazardous toxic chemicals, and improved access to personal protective equipment-further improving working conditions in the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that large segments of the workforce–many of which were not previously considered or valued–are needed to keep the economy moving and critical societal functions going. From first responders to bus drivers, this expanded essential workforce needed training to build a solid knowledge of infectious disease protection practices. However, most workplaces had no existing plan or training for infectious disease exposure control. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP) was able to immediately respond with health and safety curricula, resources, and course delivery based on decades of building capacity for disaster and infectious disease response.

Background: The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Worker Training Program developed instructor curriculum, a training tool, and materials to prepare trainees to conduct opioids workplace awareness training. Opioids and the Workplace Prevention and Response (OWPR) Train-the-Trainer (TTT) courses were held during three instructor-led online programs. Methods: The OWPR TTT was evaluated using an online pre- and posttest among registered participants, and an assessment of discussion among trainees during the training program. Results: A total of 31 pretests and 24 posttests were completed for the three TTT courses conducted. Quantitative and qualitative data complemented each other in supporting the conclusion that the training achieved intended objectives. Conclusion/Applications to Practice: The evaluation illustrated that the training was effective in increasing knowledge and confidence in conducting awareness training on opioid use and addiction prevention.