SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) has been awarded a $92,295 Susan Harwood Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to support workplace safety education and training.
The competitive federal grant will allow WITCC to develop new personal protective equipment (PPE) training materials for employers and workers in manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, transportation, warehousing, and other general-industry workplaces.
The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program funds eligible organizations to develop and deliver occupational safety and health training. The program emphasizes reaching workers and employers in small businesses and high-hazard industries and helping them recognize, avoid, and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.
This is WITCC’s 18th Susan Harwood grant award since 2006. Through previous awards, the College has provided training on topics including hazardous materials, excavations, confined spaces, fall protection, and process safety management.
The new award builds on that work by developing resources focused on the proper selection and use of personal protective equipment. These materials will help employers and workers better understand how PPE can be used as part of an effective approach to reducing exposure to workplace hazards.
OSHA awards Susan Harwood Training Grants competitively to nonprofit organizations and eligible institutions, including public colleges and universities. The program supports training and education that helps workers understand workplace hazards and their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act while helping employers understand their responsibilities for maintaining safe workplaces.
For more information about Western Iowa Tech Community College and its workforce and safety training programs, contact Carmen Wilson, Associate Dean of Corporate College, at 712-317-3167.