Harwood Grant Deadline Soon

Through the Susan Harwood Training Grants program, OSHA has made $10.5 million available to fund training and education for workers to help them identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.

Nonprofits through the Grants.gov system can score a portion of these funds as well as community and faith-based organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes, and colleges and universities.

The goal is for recipients of the grant to utilize the funds for the creation of in-person, hands-on training and educational programs 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. Other grants are available for workplace hazard prevention training and more.

James Frederick, assistant director of USW Health, Safety and Environment Department, said he’s been working with the Harwood grant off and on since 1990. “It’s a very good program,” he told Graphic Products on Thursday. “We have done some beneficial work (through these grants).” In the past, USW had used the funds from the grant for a variety of OSHA-related projects.

Funding from the grant can help provide hazard and labeling training to workers, ergonomics training and safety issues such as safe grain bin entry. The training in turn helps prevent worker injury.

National Association of Tower Erectors executive director Todd Schlekeway said after receiving a grant in 2015: “We believe this grant is going to provide access to very high-quality training to these small contractor companies and their employees.”​

The Department of Labor says that since the grant’s inception in 1978, about 2.1 million workers have been trained through this program.

Those interested in applying for the Susan Harwood Training Grants program must submit an online application through September 2, 2018.

Education Put To Work

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