Mission Statement
Gain Hands-On Experience with Workplace Safety & Health Issues
The Occupational Health Internship Program is a national summer program dedicated to help students learn about the field of occupational health and safety (OHS) from those with most at stake: working people. Visit www.OHIPintern.org(link is external) for more information. Past projects included an impact assessment of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the health and safety of New York State Nurses Association members, an investigation of workplace protection for hotel workers in a pandemic, and an investigation of chemical hazards in the car wash industry.
About the OHIP Internship
Teams of two students are placed with a union or worker organization to work on projects that investigate job-related health and safety problems among workers, often of new immigrant groups, employed in an under-served or a high hazard job.
Projects are designed to maximize contact between workers and interns. Through this process, interns gain a better understanding of the complexity of the work environment from the workers’ perspective. At the same time, it empowers workers and strengthens their investigative and technical skills. As a relationship of trust is built between interns and workers, both gain a better understanding of the underlying political and economic forces that create job conditions.
Qualifications
Graduate and undergraduate students can apply; some stipends are restricted to US citizens. Non-U.S. citizens must supply documentation of permission to work in the U.S. Undergraduates must have completed two years of college (i.e. juniors and seniors only). Recent graduates cannot be out of school for more than six months prior to the start of OHIP. For example, students are not eligible for summer 2025 if they graduated prior to December 2024. In addition, we cannot offer positions to students who have doctorate degrees including those who have doctorate degrees and are now pursuing a graduate degree (i.e. MD or MBBS pursuing an MPH). See the Eligibility section of the FAQ Page (link is external) for more details.
OHIP seeks students with experience or interest in working with unions or social justice organizations, are organized and self-starting, have good team skills and ideally speak a second language. Interns will need to be able to work independently and as a team member, and be comfortable interacting with workers of varied backgrounds and experiences.
*All student interns are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the start of the 2025 OHIP summer. A fully vaccinated person includes those who have received their necessary booster dose(s).*
Internship Deliverables
At the end of the project, teams provide a “give back” product to the workers and their host union or worker organization, present their summer project at a NIOSH national web-conference, and produce a final report:
| Task | Description |
|---|---|
| Give Back Product | Each team develops something useful to “give back” to the worker and their host union/worker organization to improve the work environment. The “give back” product can be an educational resource (e.g. fact sheet, laminated wallet cards, posters, training materials), a training session to groups of workers, or a presentation on the team’s findings and their recommendations to their union/worker organization. |
| National Web Conference | At the end of the summer, interns participate in a web-conference with NIOSH and other funding agencies, worksite supervisors, Board members, Site Coordinators, and supporters. Each team provides a PowerPoint presentation about their project. |
| Final Report | A final report that summarizes what each team did and learned during the summer is also required. |
Orientation and Schedule
All interns are required to attend a 3-day Orientation held at UCLA. Orientation is in June. Check OHIP website for dates. All interns will be required to have a negative COVID-19 test prior to attending the in-person OHIP Orientation.
The purpose of the Orientation is for interns to receive a general overview of OSH through a number of interactive educational sessions including: worksite tours, listening to a panel of workers who have sustained injuries or have encountered hazards on the job, discussing research strategies around OSH, and much more.
OHIP is a full time commitment and cannot be completed in combination with summer school or other outside activities. Interns are expected to be available for the entire OHIP summer, approximately 40 hours per week. Depending on the project, possible evening or weekend meetings may be necessary to accommodate workers’ schedules. Interns are encouraged to get involved in other activities of their host union/worker organization including: rallies, picnics, or special events.
Check-in meetings with the intern’s assigned Site Coordinator (academic mentor) will occur over the summer as well as periodic check-ins with other interns. Site Coordinators provide guidance to the interns and work with their assigned union/worker organization to ensure that each team receives support.
Compensation
Undergraduate students receive a $5,000 stipend and graduate students receive a $6,000 stipend. See the General Questions section of the FAQ Page(link is external).
To apply and for more information go to https://www.ohipintern.org/