A small group of San Diego County residents are getting jobs cleaning up oil from areas around the Gulf of Mexico. They could be the first of several hundred San Diegans hired for cleanup efforts.
There is no shortage of workers in Gulf states. But there is a need for workers with hazardous materials training. To meet that need Mark Hanson organized a job training program in San Diego.
Hanson organizes job training through local businesses. He said the workers receive full Haz-Mat training, protective training and respirators.
"They start at $12 an hour and after three weeks it can go up to $17 an hour," said Hanson.
Workers also receive food, lodging and daily expenses. Hanson said about 50 trained workers will leave via bus next week to help clean oil from beaches, coastal wetlands and waterways along the Gulf of Mexico.
He said the group will stay in the area for about six weeks. Hanson hopes the project will provide jobs for several hundred San Diegans.
He said workers may also be sent to help Haiti's recovery from last January's earthquake. Potential workers must be 18 years of age or older, in good physical shape and able to travel.
