University of California San Diego Receives Prestigious Susan Harwood Training Grant from OSHA to Provide Hurricane Disaster Relief Training in Guam

SAN DIEGO – The University of California San Diego OSHA Training Institute Education Center (UCSD OTIEC) was one of five organizations recently awarded a $1 million direct Susan Harwood Training Grant through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  This federal funding will be utilized from February 9 to March 3 to train and protect workers involved in hurricane recovery activities in Guam.

“This area, as well as the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, has experienced massive devastation due to hurricanes over the past few months as well as in previous years,” explained Stephanie Spann, associate director of UCSD/OTIEC/UCSD Extension Occupational Safety & Health Department. “Clean-up efforts have been difficult due to the remote Pacific Rim locations, and there has been a deficiency of financial and skilled resources to dedicate to this challenging, life-threatening situation. 

“The Susan Harwood Training Grant will allow us to help the residents of Guam prepare for, and address, any natural disasters that come their way in the – hopefully, distant – future.”

The intensive three-week hurricane disaster relief training will be based on real-life experiences and is designed for first responders, employers, employees, contractors, volunteers and others interested in preparing for unanticipated natural calamities.  Training session times will vary based on audience size and location.

In addition to working closely with federal enforcement authorities to identify industries needing assistance in the focused areas, UCSD OTIEC will network with Guam government officials, radio talk shows, local podcasts, and charities, non-profit organizations or government-supported relief efforts to provide information and assistance to local residents.

For the past 15 years, UCSD OTIEC has administered free OSHA-authorized training, in addition to occupational safety and health training, in Guam.  An approved OSHA training partner, the university has received additional Susan Harwood Training Grants in the past for occupational safety and health training as well as healthcare-related training.

With a mission of fostering community initiatives that support economic and social development, UC San Diego and UC San Diego Extension are committed to engaging in public service locally, nationally and in Guam and other underserved areas throughout the world.

Additional trainings will be held in Guam on January 14 and 15, 2019; in Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island in February 2019; and in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota in March 2019 by program collaborator, The Building Industry Association of Hawaii. For more information go to www.biahawaii.org/disaster-response.

For more information on UCSD Extension’s Occupational Safety and Health Department, visit www.osha.ucsd.edu.

About UCSD OTIEC
Established by the U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) was one of four original OSHA Training Institute Education Centers (OTIECs). The UCSD OTIEC offers high-quality, standards-based OSHA training in California, Arizona, Nevada, Guam and Hawaii.

Since 1992, thousands of safety and health professionals have attended courses and earned Professional Certificates in Occupational Safety and Health from highly qualified instructors who teach OSHA standards in Construction, General Industry, Maritime and Disaster Site Worker using real-world experience. In addition to the OTIEC, UCSD Extension offers additional training and resources through the Occupational Safety and Health Department.