MU Receives $150,000 Safety Grant

Millersville University has received a near $150,000 dollar grant from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to support safety training for small businesses and hard-to-reach workers.

Dr. Jack Ogutu, chairperson of Millersville's Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology Department says, "The funds are to be used for training workers in construction and general industry environment workers on ladder safety."

OSHA awarded $12.7 million in grants, spread across 102 non-profit organizations across the country. The organizations include universities and colleges, worker safety organizations, charity foundations, and research foundations.

The grant is named after the late Susan Harwood, a longtime member of OSHA's Office of Risk Assessment. Harwood was instrumental in developing federal standards that today protect people from workplace hazards, including asbestos, benzene, bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, formaldehyde and lead.

"The Susan Harwood Training Grants are a critical investment that the Department of Labor makes to help workers know their rights and power - in turn making their workplace safer and healthier," said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. "This grant honors Dr. Harwood's remarkable legacy of safeguarding workers from workplace hazards throughout her years at the Department of Labor. I'm eager to witness the impact these organizations will achieve in her name."

"These grants are our most effective tool for connecting organizations with needed resources to train and educate hard-to-reach workers in high-hazard industries," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas L. Parker. "Training is a key part of ensuring vulnerable workers understand what protections should be in place in their workplace and to know their rights."