Nipesh Pradhananga – who is an associate professor at the College of Engineering and Computing in the Moss Department of Construction Management – was awarded a total of $360,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
The first grant — Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, including COVID-19 — is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The second grant revolves around fall prevention and protection.
Both grantsderive from the Susan Harwood Workplace Safety and Health Training program, named in honor of the late Susan Harwood, former director of OSHA’s Office of Risk Assessment. In her 17-year OSHA career, she helped develop federal standards to protect workers from bloodborne pathogens, cotton dust, benzene, formaldehyde, asbestos and lead in construction.
The program funds grants to nonprofit organizations, including community and faith-based groups, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor-management associations, colleges and universities. Target trainees include small-business employers and underserved vulnerable workers in high-hazard industries. These grants are a critical element in supporting OSHA’s role in educating workers on their rights and assisting employers with providing safe workplaces.
Read more at FIU News.