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🗞️ Labor Department Puts $12.7 Million on the Table for Workplace Safety Training

The U.S. Department of Labor is offering $12.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to fund workplace safety education, with nonprofits, unions, and colleges eligible to apply through July 31, 2026.

onthelaborfront

onthelaborfront

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🗞️ Labor Department Puts $12.7 Million on the Table for Workplace Safety Training

The U.S. Department of Labor announced on July 1, 2026, that $12.7 million is available through its Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, an annual funding stream administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that pays for worker safety education. The money is intended to fund instructor led training aimed at small businesses and industries with elevated rates of injury, illness, and death on the job. Organizations can apply in two categories: developing hazard specific training programs, or producing classroom ready educational materials that other groups can use.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations such as community and faith based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor management associations, tribal organizations, and public colleges and universities, along with entities that run OSHA's On Site Consultation programs and OSHA Training Institute Education Centers. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2026, and organizations must be registered with both Grants.gov and the System for Award Management before applying.

This year's funding level matches the $12.7 million OSHA made available in 2024 and represents an increase over the $11.7 million offered in 2022. It also marks a return to open, competitive grant categories after fiscal year 2025, when OSHA shifted to noncompetitive awards limited to its state affiliated safety plans, on site consultation programs, and training institute centers rather than soliciting new applicants.

The program is named for Dr. Susan Harwood, who spent 17 years at OSHA developing federal safety standards covering benzene, formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens, asbestos, and lead exposure in construction work. She was also the lead author of OSHA's cotton dust standard, credited with largely eliminating byssinosis, a lung disease once common among textile workers. Since the program's creation, grantees have collectively trained hundreds of thousands of workers nationwide.

Key Points

  • OSHA is offering $12.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants for fiscal year 2026, matching the amount awarded in 2024.
  • Funding supports two categories: targeted hazard training and development of training materials.
  • Eligible applicants include nonprofits, unions, tribal organizations, colleges, and OSHA affiliated training entities.
  • Applications close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2026, and require prior registration with Grants.gov and SAM.gov.
  • The program returns to a competitive application process after 2025's noncompetitive award cycle.
  • The grants are named for Dr. Susan Harwood, an OSHA scientist credited with developing several major workplace safety standards.

Sourcing

Primary Source Author: U.S. Department of Labor

Primary Source: US Department of Labor announces nearly $13M available in funding for worker safety, health training grants

Primary Source Link: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20260701

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