DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Targeted Training Grants

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of grant program.

SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a grant program, Targeted Training, which awards funds to nonprofit organizations to address unmet needs for safety and health training and education in the workplace. This notice announces Targeted Training grant availability for training construction workers in the hazards of lead, general industry workers in confined space requirements, construction workers in confined space activities or work practices, workers at risk in the hazards of bloodborne diseases, and workers participating in the Maine 200 project. This notice describes the scope of the grant program and provides information on how to obtain a grant application. Applications should not be submitted without first obtaining the detailed grant application package mentioned later in the notice.

Authority for this program may be found in section 21(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 670).

DATES: Applications must be received by August 13, 1993.

ADDRESSES: Grant applications must be submitted to the OSHA Office of Training and Education, Division of Training and Educational Programs, 1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ronald Mouw, Chief, Division of Training and Educational Programs, or Helen Beall, Training Specialist, Office of Training and Education, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018, telephone (708) 297-4810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Section 21(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act provides for the education and training of employers and workers in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions. OSHA has used a variety of approaches over the years to fulfill its responsibilities under this section, one of which is the awarding of grants to nonprofit organizations to develop and provide training and education to workers and employers.

The Targeted Training Program is OSHA's current grant program for training and education of workers and employers. Its goals include educating small businesses, training in new OSHA standards, and training in areas of special emphasis or recognized high risk activities or tasks. Organizations awarded grants under this program will be expected to develop training and/or educational programs that address a target named by OSHA, reach out to workers and employers for whom the program is appropriate, and provide them with the training and/or educational program. Success is measured by the number of individuals participating in the program and evidence of their increased ability to recognize and abate hazards or to comply with standards.

Scope

The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of funds for grants. Each grant awarded will be designed to develop and provide training and education in one of the following target areas.

1. Lead in Construction

Programs that provide training to employers and workers in the requirements of 29 CFR 1926.62, lead exposure in construction. Programs are to address the recognition and abatement of lead hazards in construction involving the repair and renovation of bridges or steel structures or in the demolition of buildings and other structures.

2. Confined Spaces

a. General Industry

Programs that provide training and education to employers and workers in the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.146, permit-required confined spaces. Grantees will be expected to provide training in industries where confined spaces must be entered frequently or in industries that have a high incidence of injuries and deaths in confined spaces.

b. Construction

Programs that provide training and education to employers and workers in the hazards of confined spaces and precautions and protective and emergency equipment to be used when entering confined spaces.

3. Bloodborne Diseases

Programs that provide training and education in the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1030, bloodborne pathogens, to workers at risk of exposure to bloodborne diseases, including construction workers.

4. Maine 200 Project

Programs that provide training to workers participating with their employer in this pilot. Grantees will be expected to be in New England and provide on-site training on the various aspects of effective safety and health programs to the employees of the firms identified by OSHA as being among the top two hundred employers in Maine that experienced the greatest number of serious workplace injuries and illnesses.

Among the activities which may be supported under these grants are: Conducting training, conducting other educational activities designed to reach and inform workers, and developing educational materials for use in the training and/or educational activities.

Eligible Applicants

Any nonprofit organization that is not an agency of a State or local government is eligible to apply. However, State or local government supported institutions of higher education are eligible to apply in accordance with 29 CFR 97.4(a)(1).

Nonsupportable Activities

Statutory and regulatory limitations, as well as the objectives of the grant program, prevent reimbursement for certain activities under these grants. These limitations include the following.

1. Any activities inconsistent with the goals and objectives of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

2. Activities involving workplaces largely precluded from enforcement action under section 4(b)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

3. Activities for the benefit of State, county or municipal employees unless those employees are covered by a State Plan funded by OSHA under section 23(g) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

4. Production, publication, reproduction or use of training and educational materials, including newsletters and programs of instruction, that have not been approved by OSHA.

5. Lobbying.

6. Training and other educational activities that primarily address issues other than recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe and unhealthful working conditions. Examples include activities concerning workers' compensation, first aid, and publication of materials prejudicial to labor or management.

7. Activities that provide assistance to workers in arbitration cases or other actions against employers, or that provide assistance to employers and/or workers in the prosecution of claims against Federal, State or local governments.

8. Activities that directly duplicate services offered by OSHA, a State under a State Plan, or consultation programs provided by State designated agencies under sections 7(c)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

9. Activities directly or indirectly intended to generate membership in the grant recipient's organization. This includes activities to acquaint non-members with the benefits of membership, inclusion of membership appeals in materials produced with grant funds, and membership drives.

Administrative Requirements

Grant recipients must provide copies of the educational materials to OSHA by the end of the grant period. Programs will be subject to OSHA review and approval during development and before final publication.

The grant program will be administered in compliance with 41 CFR Part 29-70 and OMB Circulars A-110, A-133, and A-21 or A-122.

All applicants will be required to certify to a drug-free workplace in accordance with 20 CFR part 98 and to comply with the New Restrictions on Lobbying published at 29 CFR part 93.

The program is subject to matching share requirements. Grant recipients will be expected to provide a minimum of 20% of the total grant budget. For example, if the Federal share of the grant is $80,000 (80% of the grant), then the matching share will be $20,000 (20% of the grant), for a total grant of $100,000. The matching share may exceed 20%.

Evaluation Process and Criteria

Applications for grants solicited in this notice will be evaluated on a competitive basis by the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health with Assistance and advice from OSHA staff.

The following factors, which are not ranked in order of importance, will be considered in evaluating grant applications.

1. Program Design

a. The plan to develop and implement a training and education program that addresses one of the following targets.

i. Lead in construction.

ii. Confined spaces. iii. Bloodborne diseases. iv. Main 200 project. b. The number of workers to be reached by the program. c. The appropriateness of the planned activities for the target selected.

d. The plan for evaluating the program's effectiveness in achieving its objectives.

e. The feasibility and soundness of the proposed work plan in achieving the program objectives effectively.

2. Program Experience

a. Prior occupational safety and health experience of the organization.

b. Previous and current training or education programs developed by the organization.

c. Technical and professional expertise of present or proposed project staff.

d. Prior experience in reaching and serving the target population with occupational safety and health and/or training and educational programs.

3. Administrative Capability

a. Managerial expertise of the applicant as evidenced by the variety and complexity of current and/or recent programs it has administered.

b. Financial management capability of the applicant as evidenced by a recent report from an independent audit firm or a recent report from another independent organization qualified to render judgment concerning the soundness of the applicant's financial practices.

c. Evidence of the applicant's nonprofit status, preferably from the IRS.

d. The completeness of the application, including forms, budget detail, narrative and workplan, and required attachments.

4. Budget

a. The reasonableness of the budget in relation to the proposed program activities.

b. The proposed non-Federal share is at least 20% of the total budget.

c. The compliance of the budget with applicable Federal cost principles and with OSHA requirements contained in the grant application instructions.

Preference will be given to applications that propose to serve small businesses.

In addition to the preceding factors, the Assistant Secretary will consider other factors such as the overall geographical distribution and coverage of populations at risk.

Availability of Funds

There is approximately $1,200,000 available for this program, of which $600,000 is for grants addressing lead in construction, $250,000 for confined spaces, $250,000 for bloodborne diseases, and $100,000 for Maine 200. Grants will be awarded for an eighteen-month period.

Application Procedures

Those organizations that meet the eligibility requirements described above and are interested in conducting project activities as described may request a grant application package from the OSHA Office of Training and Educational Programs, 1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018.

All applications must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. Central Time, August 13, 1993.

Notification of Selection

Following review and evaluation, those organizations selected as potential grant recipients will be notified by a representative of the Assistant Secretary. An applicant whose proposal is not selected will also be notified in writing to that effect. Notice of selection as a potential grant recipient will not constitute approval of the grant application as submitted. Prior to the actual grant award, representatives of the potential grant recipient and OSHA will enter into negotiations concerning such items as program components, funding levels, and administrative systems. If negotiations do not result in an acceptable submittal, the Assistant Secretary reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and decline to fund the proposal.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 24th day of June 1993.

David C. Zeigler,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 93-15351 Filed 6-29-93; 8:45 am]