Grants Will Support Worker Safety Training in Dorchester, Somerville and Allston

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, and Congressman Michael E. Capuano, announced today that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has awarded three Massachusetts non-profit organizations over $425,000 as part of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. The funds will help educate and train workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces, and inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The Harwood grants awarded to Massachusetts non-profits include:

• $155,000 to the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health in Dorchester to provide 2 hours of chemical hazard communication training to 1,085 trainees in high-hazard industries, including young and minority workers.

• $150,082 to the National Council on Occupational Safety and Health in Somerville to provide 2 hours of chemical hazard training to 605 workers and employers in general industry including food service/restaurant, waste and recycling, janitorial, nail salon, auto repair, manufacturing, and retail. Trainees will include nonliterate, low-literacy and limited English proficiency workers; workers and employers in high-hazard industries; temporary workers, minorities, other hard-to-reach workers, and young workers.

• $124,200 to Brazilian Worker Center, Inc. in Allston to provide 4 hours of fall prevention training to 606 residential construction workers, including Portuguese and Spanish speaking immigrants.  

"Thirteen workers die every day from workplace injuries and Hispanic and Latino workers in the construction industry are especially at risk," said Senator Warren. "These grants will go a long way toward giving workers life-saving training and improving safety conditions in hazardous workplaces across Massachusetts."

"Workplace injuries can be prevented, and we owe it to our workers in Massachusetts to improve their safety when working in hazardous workplaces and educate them about their rights under federal law," said Senator Markey. "This funding will help ensure workers receive critical training to protect themselves on the job."

"OSHA has an important role to play in protecting workers and its success depends on employees understanding their rights.  This federal funding will give local organizations the tools they need to help employees better identify workplace risks and more fully understand the rights that they have," said Congressman Capuano.

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