$3.5M in Susan Harwood safety and health training grants
now available from US Labor Department

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration is accepting 2015 applications for targeted-topic training grants and capacity-building training grants under the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. A total of $3.5 million is available for nonprofit organizations, including community and faith-based organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, tribal organizations, and colleges and universities.

The grant program honors the late Susan Harwood, a former director in OSHA's Office of Risk Assessment, whose 17-year tenure with the agency led to the development of worker protection standards for exposure to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead. The grants fund the creation of in-person, hands-on training and educational programs and the development of materials 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 for workers and employers to help them identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.

"These grants provide such a valuable service to American workers because they're providing essential training to the vulnerable workers in small businesses and high-risk industries that need it most," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "Susan Harwood program grants fund great programs with a truly noble goal, which is to make sure that every worker gets home safe and healthy at the end of the day."

The targeted topic training grants support quality training programs and educational materials that focus on identifying and preventing workplace hazards. Applicants must address the occupational safety and health hazards designated by OSHA in the grant announcement. Grants may be eligible for one additional follow-on grant, based on satisfactory performance. This announcement also makes available funds for targeted-topic training and educational materials that focus on developing quality training materials.

Two types of capacity-building grants are available: capacity-building pilot and capacity-building developmental grants. Capacity-building pilot grants are intended to assist organizations in assessing their needs and formulating a capacity-building plan before launching a full-scale safety and health education program. Capacity-building developmental grants focus on improving and expanding an organization's capacity to provide safety and health training, education and related assistance to target audiences. Capacity-building developmental grant recipients may be eligible for up to three additional 12-month follow-on grants, based on satisfactory performance.

Read the funding opportunity announcements at http://www.grants.gov, where new applicants must register and returning applicants must confirm accuracy of their registration information before completing the application. The registration process generally takes three to five business days, but may take as long as four weeks if all steps are not completed in a timely manner. Organizations new to the System for Award Management need to allot an additional 14 days for registration to obtain a commercial and government entity code.

To allow for these processes, applicants are encouraged to begin the registering with www.grants.gov as soon as possible. Applications for both targeted topic training grants (SHTG-FY-15-01) and capacity building grants (SHTG-FY-15-02) must be submitted electronically, no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 2, 2015. No extensions will be granted. OSHA has developed a series of short webinars to assist prospective applicants in understanding the application process, which can be viewed at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html.

More information on the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is available at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html. Questions from the public should be directed to Kimberly Mason by emailing harwoodgrants@dol.gov or calling 847-759-7700. Please note that this is not a toll-free number.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.