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: OSHA has a grant program, Target 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 workers in the logging industry. The grant availability applies to all types of logging, including pulpwood harvesting and the logging of saw logs, bolts and other forest products. The 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 4/17/92.

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, or Helen Beall, Training Specialist, Division of Training and Educational Programs, 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 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 hazard areas. Organizations awarded grants under this program will be expected to develop training and/or educational programs which 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 hazard recognition and abatement or compliance with the standards.

Scope

The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of funds for grants which address worker safety in the logging industry, including pulpwood harvesting and the logging of saw logs, bolts and other forest products. Training programs should be carried out in close cooperation with people in the logging industry. It is expected that training will be conducted at logging sites by technical experts who are knowledgeable about safe work practices and who are responsive to changes in safety equipment and to the needs of the logging workforce. Grantees will be expected to incorporate OSHA's new logging standards into their training at such time as the standards are issued.

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 which is not an agency of a State or local government is eligible to apply. For purposes of eligibility for this grant program, agencies of State and local governments do not include State or local government supported institutions of higher education. State or local government supported institutions of higher education are eligible to apply.

Nonsupportable Activities

Statutory and regulatory limitation, 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.

4. Production, publication or reproduction of training and educational materials, including programs of instruction, which 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 or unhealthful working conditions. Examples include activities concerning workers' compensation, first aid, and publication of materials prejudicial to labor or management.

7. Activities which promote logging production methods or equipment.

8. Activities which provide assistance to workers in arbitration cases or other actions against employers, or which provide assistance to employers and/or against Federal, State or local governments.

9. Activities which 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 Act.

10. Activities directly or indirectly intended to generate membership in the grant recipient's organization.

Administrative Requirements

Grant recipients that develop curriculums and/or educational materials with grant funds will provide copies of the curriculums and/or educational materials to OSHA by the end of the grant period. The curriculums and materials will be in the public domain.

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 a$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 which addresses logging safety for workers.

b. The number of workers to be reached by the program.

c. The appropriateness of the planned activities for providing on-site safety training for loggers.

d. The plan for selecting training sites and recruiting trainees.

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

f. 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 educational programs conducted by the organization.

c. Technical and professional expertise of present or proposed project staff in logging and in occupational safety and health.

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.

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 $340,000 available for this program. It is anticipated that the average Federal award will be $100,000. Grants will be awarded for a twelve-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 Education, Division of Training and Educational Programs, 1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018.

All applications must be received by the OSHA Office of Training and Education no later than 4:30 p.m. local time, april 17, 1992.

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 10th day of February 1992.

Dorothy L. Strunk, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.

Addendum

To assist potential applicants, OSHA has assembled the following questions and answers.

Q. Can we get an extension of the deadline?

A. No. Waivers for individual applications cannot be granted, regardless of the circumstances. A closing date may be changed only under extraordinary circumstances. Any change must be announced in the Federal Register and must apply to all applications.

Q. Will you help us prepare our application?

A. No. We will answer specific questions about application requirements and evaluation criteria and any other subjects which will help potential applicants understand the application package.

Q. How long should an application narrative be?

A. There is no specified length. Generally 10 to 15 pages is sufficient. However, the most important thing to remember when completing the narrative is to address all items requested in the application package and to provide enough description of proposed program activities so that reviewers have a thorough understanding of the proposal.

Q. How many copies of the application should I submit?

A. Submit one original and three copies. Please do not bind them.

Q. When will I find out if I am going to be funded?

A. You can expect to receive notification two to three months after the application closing date.

Q. Can I obtain copies of the reviewers' comments?

A. Copies of reviewers' comments on their applications will be mailed to unsuccessful applicants upon written request.

Q. Can we budget for the lost time wages of employees participating in the educational program?

A. No. OSHA does not fund lost time wages in its grant programs.

Q. You request a copy of a recent audit but our organization has not had an audit. What do I submit?

A. Explain in the narrative when you expect an audit to be conducted. Submit a copy of your most recent IRS tax return for a nonprofit organization instead.

[FR Doc. 92-3723 Filed 2-14-92; 8:45 am]

Billing Code 4510-26-M