The Labor Safety and Health Training Project is a joint project of the National Labor College and the AFL-CIO.
The goal of the Project is to increase the involvement of workers in union efforts to improve workplace safety and health, and to increase the effectiveness of these efforts. The Project has developed extensive training materials and facilitator guides to be used in educating union members about workplace safety and health. The Project offers free safety and health training to union members, officers and staff, and also conducts a week long "train the trainer" program at the National Labor College.
Safety and Health Training
The Project provides workshops on workplace safety and health, free of charge, for unions and labor-related organizations. These workshops can be for members, officers or staff. Workshops are very participatory and are available in English or in Spanish. For information on this training, click “Safety and Health Training”.
Train the Trainer Program
The “train the trainer” program is a six-day course on workplace health and safety using a participatory popular education approach. The program is for union activists, staff, and local union health and safety representatives who would like to teach their membership about workplace health and safety issues. Participants will learn the fundamentals of workplace health and safety, with a focus on the topics below. They will also learn how to teach or facilitate classes on these subjects for other union members. Specific topics to be covered include:
- Worker and Union Roles in Workplace Safety and Health
- Identifying Hazards in the Workplace
- Legal Health and Safety Rights of Workers and Unions
- Recordkeeping (OSHA 300 Log) Requirements
- Introduction to Ergonomics
- Effective Health and Safety Committees
There are no Train the Trainer programs presently scheduled.
Training Materials
The Labor Safety and Health Training Project has developed extensive training materials and facilitator guides to be used in educating union members about workplace safety and health. Training materials are in English and Spanish. Online access to training materials is limited to union safety and health trainers. Contact Sharon Simon for username and password. Sign in to the right to access the materials.
Union Fact Sheets on Pandemic Flu
The Project has developed union fact sheets on pandemic flu. The H1N1 (swine) flu has now infected people in the United States and in many other countries. The World Health Organization has declared it a full blown pandemic.
Pandemic flu is a new type of flu virus that spreads quickly and easily around the world. We have no way to fight off this new type of virus, because we have not built up any resistance (immunity) to it. Because no one has any immunity to this new flu virus, everyone is at risk of becoming infected. Although the current flu does not appear to be severe, this could change at any time and the flu could cause very serious illness and death.
During a pandemic, many workers are at risk of being exposed to the pandemic flu virus at work and becoming sick themselves. In order to protect workers from exposure, it is essential that workplaces plan and prepare for the safety and health issues of pandemic flu now. These fact sheets explain the basics of pandemic flu, how to best protect workers, and the actions that should be taken now.
Click on a title to access the fact sheet:
- Basic Facts About Pandemic Flu
- Protecting Workers During Pandemic Flu
- Respirators: One Way to Protect Against Pandemic Flu
- Protecting Health Care Workers During Pandemic Flu
- What the Union Can Do: Preparing the Workplace for Pandemic Flu
Project Contact Information
Contact Sharon Simon at the National Labor College, 301-431-5414, or at ssimon@nlc.edu with any questions.
