SEPTEMBER 15, 2004 – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) has awarded 17 Consultation Education and Training (CET) Grants totaling $1 million to promote worker safety and health.  The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth (DLEG).

“This $1 million investment in Michigan’s working men and women gives employers new tools to protect their workers from being injured on the job,” said Granholm.  “We are dedicated to helping Michigan businesses succeed–these grants will protect workers on the job and make employers more competitive by reducing costs associated with workplace injuries and illnesses.”

The Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division provides outreach services to employers in a variety of formats.  The CET Grant program provides additional options for safety and health education and training to employers and employees.

Most of the grants will focus on the performance goals identified in the MIOSHA strategic plan, with a particular emphasis on hazard recognition and prevention for high-hazard manufacturing industries.  The 17 statewide projects will include a wide range of training activities and proficiency levels, and many will offer interactive computer-based training modules.

Four new programs are included in the 17 grants, with targeted training in the key areas of:  asbestos-related hazards; techniques for rescue workers responding to excavation cave-ins; safety and health problems in the food processing industry, particularly for Hispanic workers; and workplace violence prevention.

“Education is a powerful weapon that can promote safety and health in the workplace,” said DLEG Director David C. Hollister.  “These grants are an excellent investment that will enhance MIOSHA’s delivery of outreach services to help prevent workplace injuries and illnesses.”

CET grants are awarded on a competitive basis to nonprofit organizations, such as management/employer groups, labor/employee organizations, universities, hospitals and service agencies.

A complete list of the 2005 Consultation Education and Training (CET) Grants follows.

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FY 2005 Consultation Education and Training (CET) Grant Projects

Associated General Contractors will provide an interactive, computer-based training program for the construction industry.  The program is designed to provide easy access to 14 standardized modules which include Asbestos Awareness, Confined Space, Electrical Safety, Fall Protection, Fire Safety, Hazard Communication, Lockout/Tagout, Personal Protective Equipment, Trenching and Shoring, Scaffold Safety Cadmium Safety, Silica Safety, Ladder Safety and Lead Safety.

Bay de Noc Community College will provide statewide training and services for the wood harvesting (logging) and wood-using industry with emphasis on sawmills and secondary wood manufacturing.  The training program will offer on-site presentations to both employees and employers with emphasis on employee awareness of hazards, personal protective equipment, chain saw safety, safe work habits, employee safety responsibility, sound ergonomic practices and proper lockout procedures.

Center for Workplace Violence Prevention will provide three different training products which address MIOSHA strategic plan objectives, homeland security priorities and gaps in emergency response capabilities.  Proposed activities are: 1) a seminar on personal safety and verbal diffusion skills, 2) a course on preparedness for terrorist or catastrophic events, and 3) writing a training manual on coping with these events.

Eastern Michigan University will provide a two-hour asbestos awareness course, which will train workers on the nature of asbestos, health effects of exposure, materials which typically contain asbestos, and the elements of the MIOSHA General Industry and Construction Standards for asbestos.

Lansing Area Safety Council will provide safety and health training to employees in long-term care facilities.  The topics in the training program will include aggressive behavior; bloodborne pathogens and tuberculosis awareness; disaster preparedness; ergonomics; slips, trips and falls; hazard communication; and safe lifting and transfer of patients/proper use of lifting equipment.

Michigan Chiropractic Association will provide WorkSafe back safety and ergonomics training to workers in the nursing home, manufacturing and construction industries.  Prior to conducting the on-site training, facilitators will observe and conduct an on-site evaluation of the workplace.  The WorkSafe program is designed to increase employee awareness of the workplace safety issues related to back and other ergonomics injuries.

Michigan Farm Bureau will provide training that targets agricultural employers, managers, service providers and owners.  The project will develop and provide realistic hazard identification guidance and minimization practices suitable for owners, employees and affiliated industry personnel utilizing computer and DVD formats.  Hosting facilities will be provided with pre-seminar, on-site surveys.

Michigan Road Builders will provide several training and service components.  The training includes a “Safety and Health Day” presentation and an “Occupational Health Management in Highway Construction” seminar.  There will also be a communication and dissemination of information component.

Michigan State AFL-CIO will provide generic and customized workplace safety and health training to new employees and incumbent workers affected by new technology and new work processes, equipment or operation.  Training topics will include back injuries, lifting techniques, workplace hazards and recognition, right-to-know and hazardous substances. In cases were generic training does not meet the needs of an employer, staff will meet with the employer and identify worksite needs and issues and then will customize a training program to meet the employer’s needs.

Michigan State University/School of Criminal Justice will provide a 36-hour train-the-trainer Rapid Intervention training course for firefighters.  They will also provide a 16-hour firefighter survival course.  The project secures abandoned homes and businesses to conduct the hands-on training component of the training program.  

Michigan Urban Search and Rescue Training Foundation (MUSAR) will provide safety training to contractors engaged in trenching excavation, to construction workers involved in this type of work, and to fire services who may be called upon to provide rescue services during trenching excavation.  Besides posing a danger to construction workers, excavation work is hazardous to emergency response personnel.

Parents for Student Safety Employment Standards (PASSES) will work with the Michigan Construction Teachers Association and other construction trade schools, such as Taylor Career Technical Center, to provide training for construction technical students in the classroom.  They will also deliver a Web-based training program using the PASSES Edge curriculum and offer it to technical schools.

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) Michigan Joint Council will establish a comprehensive workplace health and safety program concentrated at 13 food processing and distribution facilities around the state.  Training will include repetitive motion musculoskeletal injuries, workplace violence, truck driver safety and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

Southeast Michigan Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (SEMCOSH) will provide safety and health training to Spanish-speaking, immigrant workers.  The training will focus on basic first aid, heat stress, hearing protection, personal protective equipment, ergonomics and general safety.  The training will promote healthy and safe worksites for immigrant workers who may not have been exposed to workplace health and safety.

United Auto Workers (UAW) will provide a five-step training program for small- to medium-sized manufacturing companies.  First, the program will identify workplaces for training and assistance; second, they will conduct a walkthrough of the facility and develop a customized training program; third, they will deliver the training program; fourth, they will conduct an evaluation; and fifth, they will provide technical assistance.

University of Michigan will provide on-site customized introductory ergonomics seminars, ergonomics job analysis, follow-up activities to document workplace changes, and development of ergonomic programs to 10 small- and medium-sized Michigan companies.

Warren Conner Development Coalition will provide a workplace violence prevention program that will target owners, operators, managers and supervisors of small service-sector businesses, retail establishments, and food service establishments located on the east side of Detroit and employing less than 100 people.

Read more Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth news releases.