Nonprofit organizations searching for ways to help their workers identify and prevent workplace injuries now have an opportunity to apply for training grants through OSHA.
The agency opened $10.5 million in available funds through Susan Harwood Training Grants for community and faith-based organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes, and colleges and universities.
Harwood Training Grants give organizations the money needed to provide in-person, hands-on training for workers and employers in small businesses; industries with high injury, illness and fatality rates; and vulnerable workers, who are underserved, have limited English proficiency or are temporary workers.
The grants will fund training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards. The program is named after Susan Harwood, a former director of the Office of Risk Assessment in OSHA's Health Standards Directorate, who died in 1996.
During her 17-year tenure with the agency, Harwood helped develop OSHA standards to protect workers exposed to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.
Grants are available in three areas: Targeted Topic Training, Training and Educational Materials Development, and Capacity Building.
- Targeted Topic Training grants support educational programs that address identifying and preventing workplace hazards. These grants require applicants to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.
- Training and Educational Materials Development grants support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that focus on identifying and preventing workplace hazards.
- Capacity Building grants support organizations in developing new capacity for conducting workplace safety and health training programs, and must provide training and education based on identified needs of a specific audience or a set of related topics.
Details on the grants and how to apply are available at Grants.gov. Harwood applications must be submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 2, 2019.