Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19

Under the authority of Section 21 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) established its discretionary grant program in 1978. In 1997, OSHA renamed the program in honor of the late Susan Harwood, former director of the OSHA Office of Risk Assessment. The grant program offers opportunities for nonprofit organizations to compete annually for funding so they may develop and conduct training and educational programs for small business employers and workers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of occupational safety and health hazards in their workplaces, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 appropriated $200,000,000 to the Secretary of Labor for specified agencies to carry out COVID-19-related worker protection activities and allocated not less than $100,000,000 of those funds for OSHA. ARPA also specified that

$10,000,000 of OSHA’s funds be for Susan Harwood training grants.

The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program awards funds to qualifying organizations who have demonstrated capabilities to achieve the program’s performance expectations outlined in this FOA. This includes experience in the subject matter, administering and delivering adult training programs, recruiting students, and managing grants. Following the grant awards, OSHA monitors each organization’s progress in achieving their performance goals and training targets. OSHA accomplishes this by conducting orientation meetings, training material reviews, training observations, program and financial monitoring visits, and quarterly and year-end report reviews.

For FY 2021, OSHA announces the availability of $10,000,000 to train employees and employers on infectious disease, including COVID-19 exposure in the workplace through the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. OSHA expects to award multiple grants to eligible nonprofit organizations under this competitive FOA. Program funding is for a grant performance period ending on March 31, 2023. The maximum award for a Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19 grant is $200,000. This FOA does not itself obligate any federal funds. The obligation of funds occurs when grant recipients acknowledge receipt and acceptance of award documents.

Applications submitted under this FOA are competing for a Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19 grant. Organizations may receive a FY 2021 Susan Harwood Training Grant (i.e., a Targeted Topic Training, Training and Educational Materials Development, or one of the Capacity Building grants) and a Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19 grant in the same year. If an organization submits multiple applications for a Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19 grant, OSHA will review the last viable application. An application is not available for additions, corrections, or revisions once it is submitted at Grants.gov. To make changes to a submitted application, the applicant must submit a new application package. This FOA closes on July 26, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications not validated by Grants.gov, or submitted after this deadline, are ineligible for consideration.