"The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring that workers and employers are fully aware of health and safety hazards, and how they can be prevented," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The programs funded by these grants will supply hard-to-reach workers, small businesses and those in high-hazard industries with the knowledge and tools they need to support safe and healthful workplaces."
A total of $1.2 million in training funds is available to nonprofit, community and faith-based organizations; employer associations; labor unions; joint labor/management associations; and colleges and universities. While agencies of state and local governments are not eligible to apply for these grants, state and local government-supported institutions of higher education may apply in accordance with 29 Code of Federal Regulations Part 95.
Two types of safety and health training grants will be awarded: targeted topic training grants, and training and educational materials development grants.
Both types of grants are for 1 year, and will support the development of quality training materials and programs addressing workplace hazards and prevention strategies for employees and employers. OSHA has designated the following topics: fall protection, grain handling operations, crane safety, workplace violence, hazard communication for chemical exposure, injury and illness prevention programs, and shipyard safety hazards.
Applicants must register and are encouraged to begin the process as soon as possible to allow enough time to complete the application. Applications must be received electronically no later than 4 p.m. EDT on May 17. For more information, visit http://www.grants.gov and http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html.
The grants are named in honor of Susan Harwood, a former director of the Office of Risk Assessment in OSHA’s health standards directorate, who died in 1996.