The U.S. Department of Labor has announced US$12.7mn in grants through the Susan Harwood Training Grants Program for training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards
Administered by the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the grants aim to advance the job quality of the American workforce by providing instructor-led training opportunities for workers and employers in small businesses with an emphasis on industries with high injury, illness, and fatality rates, and those facing barriers to accessing safety and health training.
The grants will fund training and education on hazard awareness, avoidance, and controls to protect workers from on-the-job hazards, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Applicants may apply in the following categories:
– Targeted topic training: Support educational programs that identify and prevent workplace hazards and require applicants to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.
– Training and educational materials development: Support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that identify and prevent workplace hazards.
The grants are available to non-profit organisations, including community-based, faith-based, grassroots organisations, employer associations, labour unions, joint labour/management associations, Indian tribes, and public/state colleges and universities; entities that operate OSHA On-Site Consultation programmes; and OSHA Training Institute Education Centers.
Applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2026. Applicants must register with Grants.gov and sam.gov to apply.
The grants honour the legacy and work of Dr. Susan Harwood who helped develop OSHA standards on critical worker protections related to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos, and lead in construction. Harwood was also primary author of OSHA's cotton dust standard which virtually eliminated byssinosis – a lung disease that causes asthma-like symptoms – among textile workers.
