US Department of Labor announces more than $12M in grant funding available to support worker safety, health training initiatives

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of more than $12.7 million in funding to make more good jobs available to the U.S. workforce by supporting training initiatives designed to promote safety and health in the nation’s workplaces.

Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program includes funding opportunities for Targeted Topic Training, Training and Educational Materials Development, and new Capacity Building training grants for nonprofit organizations. Grants will support recipients’ efforts to provide instructor-led remote and 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.

Specifically, the Harwood grants will fund training and education on how to recognize, avoid and control hazards, and inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Funding will be available in the following categories:

• Targeted Topic Training: Supporting educational programs that identify and prevent workplace hazards. Applicants must conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.
• Training and Educational Materials Development: Supporting the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that identify and prevent workplace hazards.
• Capacity Building: Supporting organizations in developing new training programs to assess needs and plan for full-scale safety and health education programs, expanding their capacity to provide workplace safety and health training, education and related assistance to workers and employers.

Applicants must register with grants.gov and SAM.gov to apply for a grant opportunity. Submit applications at www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 7, 2023.

OSHA will host a webinar, “How to Prepare a Competitive Susan Harwood Training Grant Application,” to assist organizations in preparing grant applications on May 25, 2023, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT. Register for the webinar, or view the webinar recording on the Harwood Training Grant Program webpage.

OSHA awards grants to nonprofit organizations, including community, faith-based, grassroot organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes, and public/state colleges and universities to provide free workplace safety and health training.