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OSHA News Release: [09/30/2008]
Contact Name: Sharon Worthy or David Sims
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676 or x1898
Release Number: 08-1378-NAT

U.S. Labor Department awards $6.7 million in safety and health training grants

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today awarded $6.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to 36 recipients encompassing labor unions, community colleges and other nonprofit organizations for safety and health training and educational programs.

"Education is the cornerstone for assuring safe and healthful work environments," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "The Susan Harwood grants will assist these organizations and academic institutions in educating employers and employees on ways to prevent safety and health hazards in the workplace."

The Susan Harwood Training Grants support workplace safety and health training programs that educate employees in industries with high hazard and fatality rates, employees with limited English proficiency, hard-to-reach employees and small business employers. The grants support training programs that address topics such as construction and general industry hazards, and other safety and health topic areas, including shipbreaking hazards and Native American tribal safety and health issues.

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 employees exposed to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

Public inquiries should be directed to Cindy Bencheck at 847-759-7726.

Editor's Note: A complete list of the 2008 Susan Harwood Grant recipients is posted at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/ote/sharwood/2008_grant_recipients.html.

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