Apply now for Oregon OSHA grant program focused on expanding worker safety training, education opportunities

Training and educating Oregon workers is essential to creating and maintaining safe and healthy workplaces. To help expand training and education opportunities, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) offers a grant program that funds ideas to improve the safety and health of Oregon workers in high-hazard industries. And we are ready to help you transform your ideas into results.

The division is accepting grant applications to create innovative workplace safety or health training or education projects. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3. Oregon OSHA prioritizes projects that engage workers on essential workplace safety or health topics. Projects may include an immersive training video or a well-designed safety publication or a multi-media package of best practices for a specific job task.

Go online to learn about how to apply or contact Theodore (Ted) Bunch at 971-375-8001 or email theodore.bunch@dcbs.oregon.gov.

The grant program focuses on high-hazard industries in Oregon, including forestry, construction, and agriculture. A grant application may concentrate on a specific work process, targeting a reduction or elimination of related hazards. Any labor or employer group, educational institution that is affiliated with a labor or employer group, or other nonprofit entity may apply.

Grants may not be used to pay for projects that are purely for research, ongoing activities, or for activities required by law. Only new or substantially expanded projects will be considered for funding. Oregon OSHA is seeking project ideas that advance workplace safety and health training or education. We are not looking for ideas that handle concerns that have already been addressed. Materials produced by grant recipients cannot be sold for profit. All grant materials become available to the public. Depending on the type of project, some materials will be housed in the Oregon OSHA Resource Center while some will be available online.

Some examples of past grant projects include:

• Translation into Spanish of pesticide labels used in reforestation in Oregon and Washington
• Development of a series of toolbox talks addressing suicide prevention in the construction industry
• A virtual reality training for health care providers to help identify hazards related to infection control and prevention in hospitals
• Creation of safe-design guidelines for anchoring systems used as part of logging operations
• An educational program for nurses to prevent ergonomic-related injuries
• Videos and related training aids describing the most prevalent health hazards in construction: silica, lead, noise, and asbestos
• Spanish-language flip charts designed to help prevent heat illness among forest workers

The Oregon Legislature launched the Occupational Safety and Health Education and Training Grant Program in 1990. Award recommendations are made by Oregon OSHA’s Safe Employment Education and Training Advisory Committee, a group with members from business, labor, and government.

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Oregon OSHA, a division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, enforces the state's workplace safety and health rules and works to improve workplace safety and health for all Oregon workers. For more information, go to osha.oregon.gov.

The Department of Consumer and Business Services is Oregon's largest business regulatory and consumer protection agency. For more information, go to oregon.gov/dcbs.

About the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]): (O[yes]) is a nonprofit dedicated to preventing young worker injuries and fatalities. O[yes] members include safety and health professionals, educators, employers, labor and trade associations, and regulators. Visit youngemployeesafety.org.

Contact information

Aaron Corvin,
public information officer
971-718-6973
Aaron.corvin@dcbs.oregon.gov