Purpose
Sponsored by ACTE and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. To encourage a safe and healthy environment in school laboratories, NIOSH and ACTE are seeking entries from ACTE members on the subject of "Promoting Safety and Health in Career and Technical Education." One entry will be selected to receive an award of $750 to the author and $250 to the author’s educational institution.

Entries in the 2012 competition should illustrate or describe efforts taken by a teacher or professor to promote occupational safety and health in school laboratories. Examples of eligible entries include the following: A paper describing specific actions taken by an instructor in a lab setting to ensure that adequate safety instruction and physical safeguards are provided to prevent hazard and personal injury; a report on research conducted on the subject of lab safety that will contribute to the design of safety measures for school labs; a description of a plan for implementing lab safety measures based on current research and/or lab instruction experience; or a safety manual developed for a specific lab class, such as plastics manufacturing technology. Entries will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, technical accuracy and practical application of their content.

Entries
Entries must come from an ACTE member. Entries and supporting documents should be submitted by e-mail, CD-ROM or as hard copies printed on 8-1/2 x 11 paper to Laurie Breyer at LBreyer@cdc.gov or by phone at 513-533-8484.

Deadline
All materials must be received by Jan. 13, 2012. Send all entry material to LBreyer@cdc.gov.

Questions should be directed to Laurie Breyer at 513-533-8484. More information about NIOSH can be found online at www.cdc.gov/niosh.

A panel of judges selected by NIOSH will review the entries and select a winner. The presentation of the award will be made at the ACTE National Policy Seminar in Washington, DC, March 5-7, 2012.