Terrorist Attacks

The NIEHS Worker Training Program (WTP) has been a national leader in the effort to train workers to respond safely to terrorist incidents and natural disasters. WTP awardees developed the official safety and health training for site workers involved in the World Trade Center cleanup, and delivered that training to the thousands of workers who toiled at Ground Zero. Program awardees also developed the first course to train remediation workers to safely clean up the anthrax contamination created by the mailing of spore-laden letters.

Because of their involvement in these and other mass-casualty incidents involving the release of hazardous substances, many WTP awardees have developed first-hand experience in terrorist incident response, uniquely viewed through the vehicle of hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER) training. Resources in this section address various types of terrorist incidents, as well as the cleanup, response, and training implications of such events. For a list of resources applicable to a variety of natural and man-made disasters, please visit our All-Hazards Resources page.

Training Resources

WTP Resources

The following pages contain resources that address various types of terrorist incidents, as well as the cleanup, response, and training implications of such events:

• Chemical and Biological Terrorism
• Radiological Dispersion Devices (Dirty Bombs)
• World Trade Center 9/11 Response

WTP Awardee Resources

• Local, County, and Regional Needs and Preparedness for Incidents Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Commonwealth of Kentucky(1.6MB)

WTP Technical Workshops

• Fall 2002 Awardee Meeting and Technical Workshop – NIEHS/Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Worker Training in a New Era: Responding to New Threats
• Spring 2002 Awardee Meeting and Technical Workshop – Learning from Disasters: WMD Preparedness Through Worker Training

Federal Links and Documents

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

• Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (formerly the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program Vol 1: Overview and Doctrine(7.9MB)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats

Other Links and Documents

• Teamsters Rail Conference Survey: High Alert – Workers Warn of Security Gaps on Nation’s Railroads(2.35MB)
• The New York Academy of Medicine Study: Redefining Readiness – Terrorism Planning through the Eyes of the Public(619KB)