News Release USDL: 95-400
Wednesday, September 27, 1995
Contact: Frank Kane,(202) 219-8151
Training Institute: Helen Beall,(708) 297-4810

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced $1,630,000 in training grants for 17 nonprofit groups to help employers and employees reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.

The grantees will both train and develop educational materials on fall protection in residential construction; small business safety and health programs; injury prevention for workers who do lifting in hospitals, nursing or medical facilities and logging safety.

"The education and training resulting from these grants will strengthen OSHA's partnership with employers and employees in promoting safer and more healthy work environments," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear. "These grants are targeted to help reduce injuries and illnesses that result from hazards in those particular industries."

Grantees are as follows:

• Logging safety Total grants, $200,000.

• Lumberjack Resource Conservation and Development Council, Tomahawk, Wis., $115,000 for training 4,150 persons. The grantee, working with the Forest Industry Training Alliance, will conduct in-woods safety training, on-site mechanized equipment and truck driver training, and short training sessions for employers on ergonomics. It will also conduct sessions for employers on the new OSHA logging standard. Geographic area covered: Wisconsin.

• Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Wash., $85,000 for training 1,338 persons. The grantee will conduct seminars on the new OSHA logging standard, provide on-site training for loggers, assist logging firms in implementing safety and health programs, and train loggers to conduct safety training at logging sites. Geographic area covered: Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.

• Prevention of lifting injuries in hospital and nursing or medical care facilities Total grants, $455,000.

• United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Washington, D.C., $70,000 for training 572 persons. The union will train trainers and resource personnel in the 125 nursing homes it covers. The trainees will then conduct orientation sessions to assist workers with lifting and other activities with the potential for job injuries. Geographic area to be covered: nationwide.

• University of California-Los Angeles, $100,000 for training 350 persons. The university will train nursing- home workers to conduct training in the area of cumulative trauma and back injury prevention. These trainers will reach another 800 workers. The university will also conduct ergonomic assessments at selected nursing homes and train staff at those locations. Geographic area covered: Southern California.

• Toledo Hospital, Toledo, Ohio., $30,000 for training 365 persons. The hospital will develop a training program based on its successful back injury prevention program for its employees, train trainers to teach the program, and assist the trainers with their training. The training will be provided for home health care agencies. Geographic area covered: Toledo, Ohio.

• New York State Public Employees Federation, Albany, N.Y., $75,000 for training 200 persons. The union will adapt an ergonomics training program and train hospital workers as trainers in prevention of cumulative trauma disorders and lifting. The trainers will ultimately train 4,000 at their worksites. Employers already have committed training time for their employees. Geographic area covered: New York State.

• Mercy Foundation, Des Moines, Ia., $75,000 for training 2,793 persons. This program will develop lifting training and train trainers from inner city and rural health care sites. It will also establish ergonomics teams in each department of participating facilities to reinforce the training in day-to-day operations.

Geographic area covered:

South Central Iowa.

• Healthcare Educational and Research Fund, Albany, N.Y., $105,000 for training 240 persons. The grantee will provide a train-the-trainer program for hospital safety and health professionals and provide them with materials to train workers and managers at their facilities to prevent back injuries. The program will also provide followup services to trainers to help them with their training. Geographic area covered: New York State.

Safety and health programs for small businesses Total grants, $510,000.

• York Area Labor-Management Council, York, Pa., $75,000 for training 210 persons. The council will train small business employees and employers in safety and health program development. Trainees will receive a manual and a video on conducting workplace inspections. Outreach will emphasize minority-owned and operated businesses. Geographic area covered: York County, Pennsylvania.

• West Texas Safety Center, Midland, Tex., $95,000 for training 300 persons. The grantee will develop a guide for developing small business safety and health plans and train employers and supervisors in small businesses as safety trainers. The program and materials will be in English and Spanish. Geographic area covered: West Texas and New Mexico.

• National Safety Council, Itasca, Ill., $110,000 for training 500 persons. This grant will revise curriculum developed under an earlier OSHA grant. It will also expand the program from the Chicago area to nationwide, providing chapters of the council with the opportunity to participate in small business safety and health training. Geographic area covered: Nationwide.

• International Union, UAW, Detroit, Mich., $135,000 for training 490 persons. The union will work with joint labor/management safety and health groups in the transportation and metalworking industries to provide training in safety and health programs, ergonomics and site-specific hazards. Geographic area covered: Nationwide.

• Hutchinson Community College, Hutchinson, Kan., $95,000 for training 1,440 persons. The college will conduct train-the-trainer programs for small business. It will also provide site-specific safety and health training at employer worksites. Geographic area covered: Southwest Kansas.

Fall protection in residential construction Total grants, $465,000.

• UBC Health and Safety Fund, Washington, D.C., $205,000 for training 1,260 persons. The Carpenters Union will develop fall protection training and train trainers who will then train apprentices and journeymen. Training will also be conducted in Spanish. Geographic area covered: nationwide.

• Roofers and Waterproofers Research and Education Joint Trust Fund, Washington, D.C., $140,000 for training 465 persons. The roofers will develop fall protection training and materials, train apprentice instructors, and train apprentices. Geographic area covered: nationwide.

• North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Project, Durham, N.C., $70,000 for training 339 persons. This project will develop worker training, conduct public education activities, train workers, and provide employers with information about fall protection. Training will be conducted in English and Spanish. Geographic area covered: North Carolina.

• Midwest Roofing Contractors Association, Lawrence, Kan., $50,000 for training 1,500 persons. The grantee will develop training materials on fall protection, conduct a series of town hall sessions for roofing contractors in 23 states, and provide training at its annual convention and trade show. Geographic area covered: 23 Midwestern states.