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Region 9 News Release:   USDL-113
August 29, 2000
Contact: Frank Meilinger
PHONE: (202) 693-1999

OSHA AWARDS $8 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH TRAINING Three California Programs Among Winners

SAN FRANCISCO -- Organizations in Oakland, Berkekely and Sacramento are among 53 nonprofit organizations nationwide selected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to share approximately $8 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to to administer safety and health training programs.

"Education and training are the cornerstones of reducing workplace injuries and illnesses," said Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman. "These grants provide valuable tools to protect America's workers and promote a greater understanding of ways to avoid occupational risks."

The Harwood grants go to organizations that propose to educate workers and employers in small businesses; train workers and employers about new OSHA standards; or teach workers and employees about high risk activities or hazards either identified in OSHA's strategic plan or as part of an OSHA special emphasis program.

"OSHA will assist nonprofit organizations that serve immigrant, contingent and other vulnerable workers, small business employers and employees, and workers in jobs with high-risk activities or hazards, such as the construction industry, to develop their safety and health capacity over a three-to-five year period," said OSHA Administrator Charles N. Jeffress.

Thirty-three new grantees were selected through a national competition announced last March. The remaining 20 awards are extensions of existing grants for another year. 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.

Among the new Harwood grantees:

State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, Sacramento, Calif. The council will develop a trainer course and translate it into Spanish. The course, which will focus on the prevention of ergonomic injuries and construction fatalities, will be conducted for 45-60 labor and management representatives and apprenticeship instructors. Trainers will conduct classes for co-workers. Informational presentations on the prevention of these construction hazards will be made to 140 labor and /or management representatives of the construction trades; $160,000.

Regents of the University of California, Berkeley, Calif. The University's Labor Occupational Health Program and the Education Development Center will establish a National Young Worker Training and Resource Center to provide training programs and safety and health materials for youth. The program will integrate training and services for youth in existing school and community job readiness programs and develop educational activities for small businesses that employ young workers; $275,000.

Shirley Ware Education Center of Health Care Workers Union Local 250, SEIU, Oakland. Calif. Local 250 will train an additional ten trainers on ergonomics and back injury prevention for nursing home workers. The local will also train an additional ten trainers about bloodborne pathogens, needlestick prevention, and about the California law to prevent sharps injuries. The grantee will provide follow-up support to the new trainers and to joint labor-management committees. The new trainers will train co-workers; $105,000.