The Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI), established in 1987, is part of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC). The purpose of the Institute is to promote worker protection and the maintenance of a clean and safe environment through education and training. 
Our OSHA-authorized trainers have more than 50 years of combined experience in the areas of occupational safety and environmental compliance for both construction and general industry. They understand OSHA, DOT, and EPA regulations as well as their practical application in business and industry. HMTRI is recognized as one of a select number of national centers of excellence by several federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
HMTRI and the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC) share administrative and support staff at EICC located in the Mississippi Plaza Center, 201 N. Harrison Street, Davenport Iowa. ATEEC is a national center that promotes and supports environmental and energy technology education to address the needs of the national and global workforce. ATEEC is an NSF Center of Excellence funded since 1994 whose mission is the advancement of environmental and energy technology education through curriculum, professional, and program development and improvement.
HMTRI has worked under cooperative agreement with EPA on the Brownfields Initiative since its inception in 1994 providing technical assistance to EPA-funded Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) grantees and prospective grantees. Technical assistance includes providing annual meetings and webinars for all funded and prospective EWDJT grantees, developing and maintaining the Brownfields Toolbox website and outreach listserv, establishing and maintaining a mentorlink program, and conducting bi-weekly Professional Learning Community (PLC) conference calls that feature various aspects of building and sustaining a successful job development program.
HMTRI works with the National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE), a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that helps facilitate partnerships with educational institutions, industry, and government. Serving the 50 states, Tribal Nations, U.S. territories, and insular areas, the PETE network includes more than 400 community, tribal, and technical colleges, representing one-third of America’s two-year institutions. Business, industry, and governmental agency partnerships are integral to this network.
HMTRI partners with the Community College Consortium for Health and Safety Training (CCCHST), administered by PETE. The CCCHST consists of 120 partners offering hazardous materials instruction (HAZWOPER and related Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] 29 CFR 1910.120) in most states of the nation. CCCHST uses a curriculum developed by HMTRI through a train-the-trainer model program. CCCHST instructors, prepared by HMTRI and PETE, annually train 10,000 workers, technicians, and supervisors to protect themselves and their communities from exposure to hazardous materials encountered during waste site clean-up, disaster site cleanup, and Brownfields redevelopment; in the transportation of hazardous materials; and in the response to spills and releases of hazardous materials.
CCCHST membership consists of community colleges partnered with business and industry, universities, and community-based organizations offering a response to the national training need for hazardous waste workers, disaster site workers, and emergency response personnel.
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