OSHA has awarded more than $11.2 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to 67 nonprofit organizations for safety and health training and educational programs. Fifty of these grantees are first-time recipients.

Grants will support classroom training programs that can be published and used by other organizations, training for OSHA's industry-specific ergonomic guidelines, and training for targeted safety and health hazards, including workplace violence and small-business safety and health management systems.

The training grants honor the late Susan Harwood, a former director of the Office of Risk Assessment in OSHA's Health Standards Directorate, who died in 1996. During her 17-year tenure with the agency, Harwood helped develop OSHA standards to protect workers exposed to bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.

A sampling of grants:

Auburn University will develop a four-hour course for workers, supervisors and managers in micro-to-mid sized businesses to recognize situations and behaviors that lead to workplace violence, to learn precautionary measures to prevent violence, and how to behave in case of such acts to minimize the impact.

Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will develop an interactive expert system to develop emergency action plans and train employees on hazards that require evacuation, relocation or shelter to protect their health and safety.

North Carolina State University plans to develop a technical assistance program directed to small manufacturing businesses. Four training modules will be developed to guide the target population in establishing effective safety and health management systems. Lesson plans, training objectives and an evaluation will be provided for each module. Final training materials will consist of a computer-based training program that can be accessed via the Internet or CD-ROM.