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Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

OSHA Press Release: OSHA to Award $2 Million in Workplace Safety and Health Training and Education Grants [05/11/1998]

For more information call: (202) 219-8151

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced plans to award $2 million in grants to nonprofit organizations to conduct safety and health training and education in the workplace.

Grants will be available for training in safety and health programs for construction, silica hazards in general industry, food processing, shipyards, logging and outreach to workers.

"This training is a major component of OSHA's efforts to reduce workplace injuries and illness," said OSHA Administrator Charles N. Jeffress. "We particularly like programs that use the train-the-trainer approach because they increase the impact that OSHA can have on workplaces."

These grants are named in honor of the late Susan Harwood, the director of the Office of Risk Assessment in OSHA's health standards directorate who died in 1996 after a distinguished career of service to her profession. The grants emphasize three areas:

• Educating workers and employers in small businesses. A small business has 250 or fewer employees.
• Training workers and employers about new OSHA standards.
• Training workers and employers about high risk activities or hazards identified by OSHA through the priority planning process or as part of an OSHA special emphasis program.

Grantees are expected to develop training and/or educational programs that address one of the topics named by OSHA; recruit workers and employers for the training, and conduct the training. They also will be expected to follow up with people trained to find out what, changes were made to reduce hazards in their workplaces as a result of the training.

Grant applications will be reviewed by OSHA staff and the review results will be presented to Assistant Secretary Jeffress, who will select the organizations to be awarded grants.

Preference will be given to applicants who plan to conduct train-the-trainer programs. Applicants are encouraged to include managers and/or supervisors in their training. In general, applications that propose to serve a single employer will not be selected, because OSHA is interested in reaching multiple employers with each grant awarded.

The average grant will be $100,000 and recipients must contribute at least a 20 percent matching share, which may be in-kind rather than a cash contribution. Grants are for 12 months and may be renewed.

Grant application instructions may be obtained from the OSHA Office of Training and Education, Division of Training and Educational Programs, 1555 Times Drive, Des Plains, IL 60018. The instructions are also available on the Internet at http://www.osha-slc.gov/training/sharwood/sharwood.html.

The application deadline is 4:30 p.m. Central time, June 26, 1998. Applications are to be mailed to the Division of Training and Educational Programs at the above address, phone: (847) 297-4810. Applications will not be accepted by fax.

Notice of the grant availability is in the Monday, May 11, 1998 Federal Register.

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(Editor's Note: See attached fact sheet for additional information on grants program.)

Who is eligible to apply for a grant?

Any nonprofit organization that is not an agency of a state or local government is eligible to apply. However, state or local government-supported institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. Applicants other than state or local government-supported institutions of higher education will be required to submit evidence of their nonprofit status, preferably from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

What are the 1998 training topics?

1. Construction. Applicants may address one of the following topics.
   • Recognition and avoidance of lead and silica hazards in bridge repair and renovation.
   • Safety and health hazards in highway construction with emphasis on preventing fatalities, particularly those caused by being struck by vehicles and equipment.
   • Recognition and avoidance of electrical hazards in construction, particularly contact with overhead power lines. Projects will emphasize developing systems and procedures that will provide ongoing training programs for new employees after the grant has ended.
2. Silica in general industry. Recognition and avoidance of silica hazards in industries where sandblasting is a process, such as metal finishing, or where silica is part of the manufacturing process, such as cement.
3. Food processing. Safety and health hazards in red meat and/or poultry processing.
4. Shipyards. Safety and health hazards in shipbuilding, shipbreaking, or ship repair.
5. Logging. Logging safety focusing on the OSHA standard and safe work practices. Projects must include a statewide group involved in the logging industry, such as a state forestry association.
6. Outreach to workers. Training workers about their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, how these rights can be exercised and what protections workers have. Training is to include sections 8(f) and 11 (c) of the OSHA Act, employee discrimination complaints under 29 CFR Part 24 (environmental laws), and complaints under the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 (29 CFR 1978). Projects will reach out to workers to inform them of their rights. Preference will be given to those that develop programs which will continue disseminating information after the grant ends.

What can grant funds be spent on?

Grant funds can be spent on the following:

• Conducting training
• Conducting other activities that reach and inform workers and employers about occupational safety and health hazards and hazard abatement
• Developing educational materials for use in the training

Are there restrictions on how grant funds can be spent?

OSHA will not provide funding for the following activities.

1. Any activity that is inconsistent with the goals and objectives of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
2. Training involving workplaces that are not covered by the OSHA Act. Examples include state and government workers in non-State Plan States and workers covered by section 4(b)(1) of the Act (employees of other Federal agencies that have their own safety and regulations).
3. Production, publication, reproduction or use of training and educational materials, including newsletters and instructional programs, that have not been reviewed by OSHA for technical accuracy.
4. Activities that address issues other than recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe or unhealthy working conditions. Examples include workers' compensation, first aid, and publication of materials prejudicial to labor or management.
5. Activities that provide assistance to workers in arbitration cases or other actions against employers, or that provide assistance to employers and/or workers in the prosecution of claims against federal, state or local governments.
6. Activities that directly duplicate services offered by OSHA, a state under an OSHA-approved state plan, or consultation programs provided by state designated agencies under section 7(c)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
7. Activities intended to generate membership in the grantee's organization. This includes activities to acquaint nonmembers with the benefits of membership, inclusion of membership appeals in materials produced with grant funds, and membership drives.

Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.