TRADE NEWS RELEASE
May 21, 2002
Contact: Frank Meilinger
Phone: (202) 693-1999

WASHINGTON, -- Proposals are being accepted for approximately $6.6 million in grants to nonprofit organizations for safety and health training under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Susan Harwood Training Grants program.

The grants are targeted to organizations that propose to educate workers and employers in small businesses; non-English speaking workers, and workers who are employed in high hazard industries and industries with high fatality rates.

This year OSHA will be awarding two categories of Susan Harwood grants:

Targeted Topic Grants will support training in the recognition and prevention of ergonomic hazards in industries with high incident rates of ergonomic injuries and homeland security programs that train workers and employers on preparing to respond to emergency situations in the workplace. There is approximately $1.2 million available for this grant category. The average award will be $150,000. Grants will be awarded for a 12-month period.

Institutional Competency Building Grants will assist nonprofit organizations in expanding safety and health training, education and outreach. To be eligible to apply for this grant category, organizations must serve clients nationally or in multi-state areas, and provide safety and health training, education and services to their clients. There is approximately $5.4 million available for this grant category. The average award will be $250,000. Grants will be awarded for a 12-month period.

Details about the grants and the application process are available in the May 22, 2002, Federal Register. Applications are available on OSHA's web site at www.osha.gov/fso/ote/training/sharwood/sharwood.html or may be obtained from the OSHA Office of Training and Education, Division of Training and Educational Programs, 1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, Ill., 60018, telephone (847) 297-4810.

Grant applications are due in the Des Plaines office by 4:30 p.m. central time, Friday, June 21, 2002.

The training grants are named in honor of the late Susan Harwood, a former director of the Office of Risk Assessment in OSHA's Health Standards Directorate, who died in 1996. During her 17-year tenure with the agency, Harwood helped develop OSHA standards to protect workers exposed to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.