[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 120 (Thursday, June 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15198]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 23, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

 

Targeted Training Grants

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and request for grant 
applications.

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SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a 
grant program, Targeted Training, which awards funds to nonprofit 
organizations to conduct safety and health training and education in 
the workplace. This notice announces Targeted Training grant 
availability for training workers to recognize ergonomic hazards, 
training workers in process safety management, training construction 
workers, training small business owners and their workers to develop 
and implement safety and health programs for their businesses, training 
workers about lockout/tagout requirements, or training workers in 
logging safety. This notice describes the scope of the grant program 
and provides information about how to get detailed grant application 
instructions. Applications should not be submitted without the 
applicant first obtaining the detailed grant application instructions 
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 August 12, 1994.

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, Division of Training and Educational Programs, or 
Helen Beall, Training Specialist, OSHA Office of Training and 
Education, 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, including community 
based organizations, to develop and provide training and education to 
workers and employers.
    The Targeted Training Program is OSHA's current grant program for 
the training and education of workers and employers. Its goals include 
educating workers and employers in small businesses (250 or fewer 
workers), training in new OSHA standards, and training in areas of 
special emphasis or recognized high risk activities or tasks. 
Organizations awarded grants under this program, including community 
based organizations, will be expected to develop training and/or 
educational programs that 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 workers or employers reached by the program and their 
increased ability to recognize and abate hazards or to comply with OSHA 
standards.
    Preferential consideration will be given to projects that reach 
workers in high-risk occupations, with special emphasis on minority, 
youth, non-English speaking, low income and migrant workers. 
Preferential consideration will also be given to applications that 
propose train-the-trainer programs, especially those that train workers 
to train other workers, and to applications that propose to assist 
employers and their workers with the development of comprehensive 
safety and health programs that emphasize management commitment and 
worker participation in hazard recognition and control.

Scope

    The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of funds 
for grants. Each grant awarded will be designed to develop and provide 
training and education in one of the following target areas.
    1. Ergonomics. Programs that teach workers what ergonomics is, 
train them how to recognize ergonomic hazards and acute and chronic 
ergonomic health disorders in the workplace, and demonstrate ways in 
which ergonomic problems can be abated.
    2. Process Safety Management. Programs that provide training for 
workers who are or will be working at facilities covered by the OSHA 
process safety management standard, 29 CFR 1910.119.
    3. Construction safety and health. Programs that provide training 
for construction workers who are or will be working at sites covered by 
recently issued OSHA standards, such as lead in construction (29 CFR 
1926.62). These programs will be expected to incorporate new OSHA 
construction standards, such as fall protection, into their programs 
when the standards are issued.
    4. Safety and health program development for workers and employers 
in small businesses. Programs that assist workers and employers in 
small businesses to understand OSHA requirements and implement safety 
and health programs, including training for workers. For purposes of 
this grant program, a small business is one with 250 or fewer workers.
    5. Lockout/tagout. Programs that teach workers, particularly those 
involved with the repair and maintenance of machinery, the requirements 
of OSHA's lockout/tagout standard, 29 CFR 1910.147.
    6. Logging safety. Programs that 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 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. 
Whenever possible, training should be conducted at logging sites. 
Grantees will be expected to incorporate OSHA's new logging standard 
into their programs when the standard is 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 employers, and developing educational 
materials for use in training and/or educational activities.

Eligible Applicants

    Any nonprofit organization, including labor organizations, joint 
labor-management training trust funds, employer and trade 
organizations, and community-based organizations, that is not an agency 
of a State or local government is eligible to apply. However, State or 
local government supported institutions of higher education are 
eligible to apply in accordance with 29 CFR 97.4(a)(1).

Nonsupportable Activities

    Statutory and regulatory limitations, as well as the objectives of 
the grant program, prevent reimbursing grantees for certain activities. 
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 workers 
unless those workers are covered by a State Plan funded by OSHA under 
section 23(g) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
    4. Production, publication, reproduction or use of training and 
educational materials, including newsletters and programs of 
instruction, that have not been reviewed by OSHA for technical 
accuracy.
    5. 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.
    6. Activities that provide assistance to workers in arbitration 
cases or other actions against employers, or that provide assistance to 
employers and/or workers in the prosecution of claims against Federal, 
State or local governments.
    7. Activities that directly duplicate services offered by OSHA, a 
State under a State Plan, or consultation programs provided by State 
designated agencies under section 7(c)(1) of the Occupational Safety 
and Health Act.
    8. Activities directly or indirectly intended to generate 
membership in the grant recipient's organization. This includes 
activities to acquaint nonmembers with the benefits of membership, 
inclusion of membership appeals in materials with grant funds, and 
membership drives.

Administrative Requirements

    Educational materials will be reviewed by OSHA for technical 
accuracy during development and before final publication. Instructional 
curriculums and purchased training materials will also be reviewed by 
OSHA for technical accuracy before they are used.
    Grant recipients will be expected to share educational materials 
with others in the industry to which the materials apply. Grant 
recipients must also provide copies of completed educational materials 
to OSHA before the end of the grant period. OSHA has a lending program, 
the Resource Center, that circulates grant-produced audiovisual 
materials. Grant recipients can expect their materials to be included 
in OSHA's Resource Center lending program.
    Grantees will comply with applicable requirements of the following 
OMB Circulars.
    1. A-110, which covers grant requirements for nonprofit 
organizations, including universities and hospitals.
    2. A-21, which gives cost principles applicable to educational 
institutions.
    3. A-122, which gives cost principles applicable to other nonprofit 
organizations.
    4. A-133, which provides audit requirements.
    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 has matching share requirements. Grant recipients will 
provide a minimum of 20% of the total grant budget. This match may be 
in-kind, rather than a cash contribution. For example, if the Federal 
share of the grant is $80,000 (80% of the grant), then the matching 
share will be $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 that addresses one of the following targets.
    i. Ergonomics.
    ii. Workers covered by OSHA's process safety management standard.
    iii. Construction safety and health for workers covered by recently 
issued OSHA standards.
    iv. Safety and health program development for workers and employers 
in small businesses.
    v. Lockout/tagout.
    vi. Logging safety.
    b. The number of workers and/or the number of employers to be 
reached by the program.
    c. The number of workers to be trained as trainers of their fellow 
workers.
    d. The appropriateness of the planned activities for the target 
selected.
    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. The occupational safety and health experience of the applicant 
organization.
    b. The experience of the applicant organization in developing and 
conducting training or education programs.
    c. The technical and professional expertise of present or proposed 
project staff in training workers and/or employers and in occupational 
safety and health.
    d. The applicant organization's experience in reaching the target 
population and conducting occupational safety and health and/or 
training and educational programs for that population.

3. Administrative Capability

    a. The managerial expertise of the applicant as evidenced by the 
variety and complexity of programs it has administered over the past 
five years.
    b. The 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 Federal cost principles 
contained in applicable OMB Circulars and with OSHA budget requirements 
contained in the grant application instructions.
    Preferential consideration will be given to organizations, 
including community based organizations, that submit applications which 
include one or more of the following program elements.
    1. Providing training and/or education for workers in high-risk 
occupations, with special emphasis on minority, youth, non-English 
speaking, low income and migrant workers.
    2. Conducting train-the-trainer programs, especially those that 
train workers to train other workers.
    3. Assisting workers and employers with the development of 
comprehensive safety and health programs that emphasize management 
commitment and worker participation in hazard recognition and control.
    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 $1,700,000 available for this program. The 
average Federal award will be $100,000 and there will be at least one 
grant for each target. Grants will be awarded for an eighteen-month 
period.

Application Procedures

    Organizations that meet the eligibility requirements described 
above and are interested in applying for a grant may request grant 
application instructions 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 no later than 4:30 p.m. Central 
Time, August 12, 1994.

Notification of Selection

    Following review and evaluation, organizations selected as 
potential grant recipients will be notified by a representative of the 
Assistant Secretary. An applicant whose proposal is not selected will 
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 17th day of June 1994.
Joseph A. Dear,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 94-15198 Filed 6-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-M