CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training

CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training, formerly known as The Center to Protect Workers’ Rights (CPWR), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. Since the inception of research initiatives in 1990, CPWR has become an international leader in applied research, training, and service to the construction industry. CPWR is committed to preventing illness, injury, and death in the construction industry through its safety and health research. CPWR heads a nationwide consortium of researchers who identify, develop and test innovative approaches to solve problems related to high risk activities in the industry. Knowledge developed through the research is disseminated through publications, presentations, the web, and training programs. The Center is supported through government funding by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the Departments of Energy (DOE), Labor (DOL), and Defense (DOD). The research is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH, NIEHS, DOE, DOL, or DOD. CPWR leads national training programs focused on improving construction industry occupational safety and health and environmental remediation, reaching well over 50,000 workers per year. The U.S. construction industry presents serious challenges for delivery of contractor, foreman, or worker training. More than 80% of construction establishments have fewer than 10 employees, and more than 90% have fewer than 20 employees. Delivery of training through multi-employer joint labor-management trusts shares the cost of training a local pool of skilled workers. Current CPWR training programs include both instructor and worker training skills for : * Work on EPA Superfund and DOE sites nationwide; * Safety and health training in Spanish and English including basic safety, confined space entry, and asbestos and lead abatement; * Work on natural and man-made disaster sites; and * Brownfields and minority worker training on life skills, preapprenticeship, and environmental remediation. CPWR strives to integrate applied research findings into these training programs to assess continual improvement and evaluate the impacts of safety and health training.