Labor Dept. Program Awards $10.5M in Safety and Health Grants

Words: Dan KamysSeptember 13, 2016 — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has awarded $10.5 million in one-year federal safety and health training grants to 77 nonprofit organizations nationwide. The grants will provide training and education for workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces. They will also inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act. The department's Susan Harwood Training Grants Program funds grants to nonprofit organizations, including joint labor/management associations, colleges and universities, and more. Target trainees include small-business employers and underserved vulnerable workers in high-hazard industries. The fiscal year 2016 award categories are: Capacity-Building Developmental, Capacity-Building Pilot, Targeted Topic Training, and Training and Educational Materials Development. OSHA is awarding approximately $3.6 million in new targeted-topic training grants to 28 organizations to develop materials and programs addressing workplace hazards and prevention strategies. These grant types require recipients to address occupational safety and health topics designated by OSHA, including silica, confined spaces, workplace violence and other workplace hazards. In addition, 11 organizations will receive ~$1.5 million in new capacity building grants to provide occupational safety and health training, education and related assistance to workers and employers in targeted populations. One of the 11 organizations will receive a capacity-building pilot grant designed to assist organizations in assessing their needs and formulating a capacity-building plan before launching a full-scale safety and health education program. OSHA also awarded approximately $4 million in follow-on grants to 26 capacity-building developmental grantees and $1.4 million in follow-on grants to 12 targeted topic grantees that performed satisfactorily during the fiscal year 2015 grant year. These grantees demonstrated their ability to provide occupational safety and health training, education and related assistance to workers and employers in high-hazard industries, small-business employers and vulnerable workers. Since 1978, the program has provided training for approximately 2.1 million workers. The training grant program's name honors Susan Harwood, a former director of the Office of Risk Assessment in OSHA's former Directorate of Health Standards, who passed away in 1996. More information on the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program and the grant recipients is available at http://www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html.
Stop Juggling: The Best Way to Master Your Masonry Job Sites
January 2026

You’re in the business of building structures that will stand for generations. Yet, too often, the process of managing the job site feels built on quicksand. Every construction project manager knows the feeling: the constant, fra

Erin Koets
Technical Talks
Read More
Brick Jointers: Purpose, Patterns, & Practical Applications
January 2026

After leads have been built and bricks have been laid, it’s crucial to tool the joints before the mortar sets. The tool of choice for this task is a brick jointer, but it can be tricky to decide which one to use. This guide will walk through the purpose o

Mackenzie Claassen
Technical Talks
Read More
Laying It Straight: Line-Holding Accessories for Masons Who Demand Precision
January 2026

When it comes to laying brick, block, or stone, nothing replaces a good line. A tight, true mason’s line is the backbone of straight courses and clean elevations, and the hardware holding that line is every bit as critical. Bon Tool’s lineup of Line & Lin

Paul Bender
Technical Talks
Read More
The Importance of Eye Protection in Masonry
January 2026

There are few stereotypes more iconic than the image of a construction worker wearing a hard hat and safety glasses. Protective glasses are among the most common items worn by workers in the masonry field, second only to the hard hat. According to OSHA, w

Justus Everett
Safety Library
Read More