Tag: #grants

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Motor Carrier Safety Awards Funding to 56 States, Territories for Safer Roads

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by FMCSA

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided a 61% increase in funding for states and territories to support roadway safety.

Washington – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) awarded more than $471 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grants to help fund initiatives aimed at preventing crashes, fatalities, and injuries involving commercial motor vehicles (CMV).

“Commercial vehicles are an essential part of our supply chains, our economy, and our way of life—and we must ensure that they are as safe as possible,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This funding will help save lives by making our roads safer for commercial vehicle drivers and everyone who shares the road with them.”

The MCSAP is FMCSA’s largest grant program. It supports state, territorial, and local transportation offices and law enforcement agencies in the utilization of more than 12,000 officers to increase education, outreach, and safety activities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided for a 61% increase in the amount of funding available through MCSAP grants, giving states and territories more money than ever before to support roadway safety through enhanced driver and vehicle inspections, traffic enforcement, investigations, data collection, and public education and awareness.

The goal of the MCSAP is to reduce CMV-involved crashes, fatalities, and injuries through consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs that support innovative commercial driver training, safety inspections, and enhanced compliance and enforcement initiatives.

“These grants align with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and ensure we are all working towards the same goal: zero fatalities on our roadways,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson. “FMCSA’s core mission is safety, and we are committed to working with our state and territorial partners to enhance the safety of our roadways.”

Administrator Hutcheson and other leaders from FMCSA met with MCSAP grant recipients last month to further align efforts and best maximize the use of grant funding.

To be eligible for the grants, a state or territory must have an FMCSA-approved Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan (CVSP). FMCSA partners with grantees to support consistent, uniform, and effective CMV safety programs.

All states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories receive funding annually through MCSAP grants. A revised MCSAP formula issued in 2020 promotes stability in the size of the awards to ensure that no state’s percentage of MCSAP funding will decrease by more than 3 percent, or increase by more than 5 percent, each year.

The MCSAP funding formula ensures transparency and equity.

Read more about FMCSA’s grants and financial assistance.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

US Department of Labor announces availability of Brookwood-Sago grants to promote mine safety, health education, training

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by MSHA
Program will award up to $1M in grants to support mining community

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $1 million in grant funding through its Brookwood-Sago grant program, which supports the delivery of education and training to the nation’s mining community to help them identify, avoid and prevent unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.

Established by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, the program honors 25 miners who perished in disasters in 2001 at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama, and in 2006 in Buckhannon, West Virginia, at the Sago mine.

Administered by the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, the grants will fund education and training programs focused on workplace safety and health hazards faced by miners. These hazards include:

  • Exposure to respirable dust and crystalline silica.
  • Safe use of powered haulage and mobile equipment.
  • Mine emergency and mine rescue preparedness.
  • Electrical safety.
  • Insufficient training of new and inexperienced miners.
  • Lack of training for managers and supervisors performing mining tasks.
  • Pillar safety for underground mines.
  • Lack of personal protective equipment to prevent falls from heights and other unsafe conditions.

The program aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to improve the safety and working conditions for nation’s miners.

In awarding the grants, MSHA will give special emphasis to education and training programs that target miners at smaller mines and underserved populations in the industry and make diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility priorities.

Learn more or submit a grant application. The closing date for applications is July 21, 2023. MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30, 2023.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

USDOT Announces State and Local Funding to Improve Hazardous Materials and Pipeline Safety Nationwide

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by USDOT

Funding available to train firefighters and other first responders as well as support States and localities for hazardous material safety

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced more than $25 million available in grant funding through its pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs. These grants are for projects that will train first responders, strengthen safety programs, improve safety, reduce environmental impacts, and educate the public on local safety initiatives. This includes projects that provide support to state inspectors for hazardous materials shipments and pipelines inspections, important safety training and educational programs for emergency response, and advance¬ innovative safety technologies.

“We need to make sure our first responders are ready to respond to emergencies involving pipelines and hazardous materials,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These grants will train firefighters and other first responders and help ensure that communities have the resources they need to keep their residents safe.”

This funding announcement comes after the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine upended the lives of the community. Responders nationwide previously received training because of the Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training (ALERT) grant program, including 2,500+ responders in 137 different locations in Ohio. Several of those trained emergency responders were on the ground during the recent derailment. In addition to this existing funding, Secretary Buttigieg called on Congress to increase funding to expand hazardous materials training for first responders. Additional funding for first responders is part of the Bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023.

The funding will go towards the following grants:

Pipeline Safety

•    Pipeline Emergency Response Grants
•    Competitive Academic Agreement Program Grants
•    Technical Assistance Grants
•    State Damage Prevention Grants
•    One-Call Grants

Hazardous Materials Safety

•    Hazardous Materials Instructor Training Grants
•    Hazardous Materials State Inspection Grants
•    Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training Grants
•    Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Tribal Grants
•    Supplemental Public Sector Training Grants
•    Community Safety Grants

“Whether it’s dealing with a pipeline rupture or a train derailment—training is essential to the safety of our first responders and the communities they serve,” said PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown. “These grant opportunities will help ensure first responders have what they need to address the unique challenges that exist in communities across the country.”

The Notices of Funding Opportunities provide more details on eligibility and how each grant improves and strengthens pipeline and hazardous materials safety. PHMSA will work to maximize grant awards based on the applications received. Each official notice of funding opportunity is available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html under Department of Transportation-PHMSA on the agency drop-down menu. Applicants can also contact the appropriate agency representative identified in the respective notice of funding opportunity with further questions.

Since 2021, PHMSA has awarded more than $206 million in grants to eligible recipients for projects, research, and development activities that work to enhance the safety of America’s energy pipeline network and hazardous materials transportation. For Fiscal Year 2024, PHMSA requested a $21.5 million increase for its State Pipeline Safety Grants to reimburse states for up to 80% of their inspection costs, an $18.5 million increase in funding for its emergency preparedness grants that train emergency responders and volunteers, and a $3 million increase in Community Safety Grant funding to better prepare underserved communities for the transportation of hazmat and crude oil through communities. Details about prior grant awards and related projects can be found on PHMSA’s grant webpage.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s mission is to protect people and the environment by advancing the safe transportation of energy and other hazardous materials that are essential to our daily lives.  Please visit https://www.phmsa.dot.gov for more information.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

FMCSA awards nearly $81 million in high-priority safety grants

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety + Health

Photo: FMCSA

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has awarded almost $81 million in grants via its High Priority Grant Program.

The program provides funding for initiatives aimed at strengthening commercial motor vehicle safety under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. It also invests in innovative technology, research and other projects that enhance CMV safety. Groups eligible for the funding include state and local governments, Native American tribes, political jurisdictions, nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education.

Activities and projects include:

  • Improving the safe and secure movement of hazardous materials.
  • Improving safe transportation of goods and people in foreign commerce.
  • Demonstrating new technologies to improve CMV safety.
  • Advancing technology to enhance CMV operator awareness of roadway hazards and truck parking availability.
  • Supporting participation in performance and registration information systems management.
  • Conducting safety data improvement projects.
  • Increasing public awareness and education on CMV safety.
  • Targeting unsafe driving of CMVs in areas identified as high-risk crash corridors, including roadway work zones.
  • Improving CMV safety and compliance with CMV safety regulations.

Nearly $43 million of the grant funding was awarded to 63 high-priority CMV safety-related activities and projects, while 35 grants totaling nearly $38 million were awarded via FMCSA’s HP Innovative Technology Deployment Program.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

MSHA awards nearly $1M in mine safety training grants

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by MSHA

 

Brookwood-Sago grants seek to make mining safe for workers, operators 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $985,284 in grants to support the development and delivery of education and training by 10 organizations that will help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions in, and around the nation’s mines.

Supported by the Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety grant program, recipients will create training materials, promote and conduct mine safety training or educational programs, and evaluate their effectiveness. The awards align with the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration’s emphasis on targeting programs and materials for smaller mines and the miners working at them. MSHA is seeking to educate miners and industry employers about new federal standards, and high-risk activities or hazards the agency identifies.

“The Mine Safety and Health Administration exists to protect the safety and health of the nation’s miners,” said Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. “The tragedies at the Brookwood and Sago mines are stark reminders of the risks miners face on the job. The grants we’re awarding today will support critically important training and education that the people working in our mines need and deserve.”

Established under the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, the program honors 25 miners who died in mine disasters at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama, in 2001, and at the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in 2006.

The recipients Brookwood-Sago grants in fiscal year 2022 are as follows:

  • University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa received $158,962, to develop training materials for a three-hour, instructor-led course to raise workplace hazards awareness among new, inexperienced surface mine operators.
  • Arizona Board of Regents at the University of Arizona in Tucson received $157,936, for comprehensive training, assessment and compliance reporting tools in its “SMARTer Training: A Data-Driven, Collaborative Toolkit to Improve Training and Reporting Outcomes for Contractors and Small Mine Operators” project.
  • Hutchinson Community College in Kansas received $100,300, for hazard recognition training materials to include virtual reality simulation and traditional materials to train Kansas and Nebraska miners.
  • Southeast Community and Technical College in Cumberland, Kentucky, received $82,438 to develop, market, deliver and evaluate Parts 46 and 48 coal and metal nonmetal Powered Haulage and Mobile Equipment Safety Training.
  • United Mine Workers of America Career Centers Inc. in Prosperity, Pennsylvania, received $55,046 to develop a bilingual “Miners’ Statutory Rights Awareness” training program to complement existing miner’s statutory rights training that may be used to either inform new miners or reinforce the understanding of experienced miners of their legal rights under U.S. laws and regulations and the appropriate response(s) if they encounter unsafe or unhealthy working conditions.
  • South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City received $120,000, to develop virtual reality training, interactive training materials and New Miner Training Program focused on prevention of unsafe conditions in mines, bring awareness to hazards and preparedness.
  • Western Dakota Technical College, also in Rapid City received $109,945 for training focused on power haulage and mobile equipment safety, and mine emergency prevention and preparedness.
  • The University of Texas at Arlington received $50,000 for training materials focused on identifying fall hazards and best practices in reducing minors’ workplace injuries and fatalities; and to develop fall prevention training for miners.
  • Virginia Department of Energy in Big Stone Gap received $50,000 to enhance the virtual reality training to simulate conditions at mine sites to help identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions and avoid unsafe acts, in and around mines with the potential to cause accidents in the workplace.
  • West Virginia Research Corp. in Morgantown received $100,657, to provide emergency prevention and preparedness training to coal miners and coal mine operators in mine rescue training and dry chemical fire training to respond to emergencies involving fire in underground coal mines.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

MSHA Offering $1M in Safety Grants

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by MSHA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a funding availability of up to $1 million in grants through its Brookwood-Sago grant program to support education and training to help the mining community identify, avoid and prevent unsafe and unhealthy working conditions in and around the nation’s mines.

Established by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, the program’s efforts to make mines safer and healthier honors 25 miners who perished in disasters at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama, in 2001 and at the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in 2006.

Administered by the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Brookwood-Sago grants will focus education and training programs on occupational hazards, including:

  • Exposures to respirable dust and crystalline silica.
  • Powered haulage and mobile equipment safety.
  • Mine emergency preparedness and rescue.
  • Electrical safety.
  • Contract and customer truck drivers.
  • Improving training for new and inexperienced miners, and managers and supervisors performing mining tasks.
  • Pillar safety for underground mines.
  • Falls from heights.

The grants may also support programs emphasizing training on miners’ statutory rights, including the right to a safe and healthy working environment, to refuse an unsafe task, and to have a voice in the safety and health conditions at the mine. Recipients may use the grant funding to develop educational and training materials, recruit mine operators and miners for the training, and to conduct and evaluate training.

In awarding the grants, MSHA will give special emphasis to education and training programs that target miners at smaller mines and underserved populations in the mining industry. They will also prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion.

Learn more or submit a grant application. The closing date for applications is Aug. 23, 2022. MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30, 2022. Learn more about MSHA.

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

OSHA announces almost $22 million in training grants

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by OSHA

Photo property of OSHA

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced funding opportunities for more than $21 million in Occupational Safety and Health Administration training grants for non-profit organizations.

The first availability will provide $10 million under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, including the Coronavirus grants.

To be eligible for these grants, applicants must develop training that focuses on four program emphasis areas:

  • Identifying and preventing workplace-related infectious diseases, including the coronavirus, in industries with high illness rates, those employing frontline workers or those serving susceptible populations.
  • OSHA standards that address infectious diseases, including coronavirus.
  • Workplace hazards identified in OSHA special emphasis programs or other priorities associated with infectious diseases, including the coronavirus.

Applications must be submitted at www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 26, 2021. Applicants must possess a D-U-N-S number and have an active System of Award Management registration. Obtain a free D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet.

The second funding availability is for the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. Funding of $11,787,000 is available for Targeted Topic Training, Training and Educational Materials Development, and new Capacity Building grants.

Applicants can apply for a grant under one of the following funding opportunities:

  • Targeted Topic Training grants support educational programs that identify and prevent workplace hazards. These grants require applicants to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.
  • Training and Educational Materials Development grants support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that identify and prevent workplace hazards.
  • Capacity Building grants assist organizations that need time to assess needs and formulate a plan before moving forward with a full-scale safety and health education program, as well as expand their capacity to provide occupational safety and health training, education and related assistance to their constituents.

Applicants may apply for and receive both an ARPA “Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, including the Coronavirus” grants and the standard Susan Harwood Training grants.

Applications must be submitted at www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on Aug. 23, 2021. Applicants must possess a D-U-N-S number and have an active System of Award Management registration. Obtain a free D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet.

OSHA awards grants to nonprofit organizations, including community and faith-based organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes, and local and state-sponsored colleges and universities to provide infectious disease workplace safety and health training.

The Harwood Training Grant program supports remote and in-person hands-on training for workers and employers in small businesses; industries with high injury, illness, and fatality rates; and vulnerable workers, who are underserved, have limited English proficiency, or are temporary workers.

Learn more about the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

MSHA Offering $1M in Safety Grants

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by MSHA.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today the availability of up to $1 million to fund grants to support education and training to help mine workers identify, avoid and prevent unsafe working conditions.

The funding, made available by the department’s Brookwood-Sago grant program, will enable grant recipients to develop training materials, provide mine safety training or educational programs, recruit mine operators and miners for training, and conduct and evaluate training. The amount of each individual grant will be at least $50,000, and the maximum individual award will be up to $1 million.

Administered by MSHA, the 2021 selection process will include special consideration for programs that focus on powered haulage (in particular, reducing vehicle-on-vehicle collisions, increasing seat belt use and improving belt conveyor safety), improving safety among contractors, reducing electrocutions, improving training for new and inexperienced miners, mine emergency prevention and preparedness, falls from equipment, respiratory hazards and other programs to prevent unsafe conditions in mines.

MSHA will also place special emphasis on programs and materials that target miners at smaller mines, including training miners and employers about new MSHA standards, high-risk activities or hazards MSHA identifies.

Visit grants.gov to apply for the Brookwood-Sago grants. Applications must be received by May 27, 2021. MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30, 2021.

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 established the Brookwood-Sago grant program in honor of the 25 miners who died at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama, in 2001 and at the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in 2006.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.