OSHA announces almost $22 million in training grants

Washington — OSHA has made available nearly $22 million in grants aimed at improving worker safety and health training.

According to a June 17 press release, $10 million in funding is being provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for workplace safety and health training on infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Meanwhile, nearly $11.8 million in funding is available via the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program.

Nonprofit organizations eligible for the grants include community and faith-based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Native American tribes, and colleges and universities.

To be eligible for an ARPA grant, recipients must develop training that focuses on these emphasis areas:

• Identifying and preventing workplace-related infectious diseases in industries with high illness rates, those employing frontline workers or those serving susceptible populations
• OSHA standards that address infectious diseases
• Workplace hazards identified in OSHA Special Emphasis Programs or other priorities associated with infectious diseases

The Harwood grants are available in three categories:
Targeted Topic Training, supporting educational programs that address identifying and preventing workplace hazards. These grants require recipients to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.
Training and Educational Materials Development, to aid in the creation of classroom-ready training and educational materials that focus on identifying and preventing workplace hazards.
Capacity Building, to assist organizations that need time to assess needs and formulate a plan before moving forward with a full-scale safety and health education program, as well as expand their capacity to provide workplace safety and health training, education, and related assistance to their constituents.

The Harwood program “supports 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,” the release states.

Applications for the ARPA and Harwood grants are due July 19 and Aug. 17, respectively. Organizations can apply for both grants.