Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received a $950,000 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to deliver critical workplace safety training to small businesses and workers across Pennsylvania.
The grant, awarded through OSHA’s highly competitive Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, will support an initiative focused on reducing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities related to chemical hazards and hazardous energy in small businesses.
IUP is one of the limited number of institutions nationwide selected to receive the Susan Harwood Training Grant.
Through the program, IUP will provide free, instructor-led training addressing three OSHA priority areas: chemical hazards and hazard communication; chemical inhalation and skin absorption hazards; and lockout-tagout procedures designed to protect workers from dangerous machinery and equipment during servicing and maintenance.
“IUP’s Department of Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering has a well-deserved reputation for educational excellence and a true commitment to service and workplace safety,” IUP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Lara Luetkehans said. “Being selected for this competitive grant reflects that reputation and expertise, and I congratulate the department for its ongoing commitment to keeping our workplaces as safe as possible,” she said.
“Small businesses, particularly those in manufacturing, healthcare and social assistance, service industries, and construction, often lack the resources needed to implement comprehensive safety and health programs,” IUP Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering Department Chair Dr. Tracey Cekada said. “This funding allows us to offer them important training, and we are honored to have been selected for this grant,” she said.
According to OSHA, more than 32 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous chemicals each year, and violations of the Hazard Communication Standard and Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout-tagout) standard continue to remain among the most frequently cited nationwide. Workers who speak English as a second language face additional challenges understanding technical safety information, increasing their risk of exposure and injury.
IUP’s training program is designed to address these challenges directly. Training sessions will be delivered by IUP Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering faculty members. Sessions will be offered in both English and Spanish and will use participatory, hands-on learning methods to help workers recognize hazards, understand updated chemical labeling and Safety Data Sheet requirements, and apply practical exposure control measures on the job.
"Prevention is at the heart of this program,” project Principal Investigator and faculty member in IUP’s Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering Department Dr. Luz Marin said. “Being awarded the OSHA Susan Harwood Grant allows us to deliver accessible, OSHA‑compliant training that reflects the day‑to‑day realities of small businesses.”
Training will be delivered throughout the commonwealth, including sessions in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Allentown, Reading, and York, with targeted outreach to areas with higher concentrations of Spanish-speaking workers.
The grant builds on IUP’s long-standing leadership in occupational safety and health, including its operation of the PA OSHA Consultation Program, led by Dr. John Mulroy. This program provides confidential safety and health assistance to small employers statewide.
“Effective safety training is a critical component within the hierarchy of controls, ensuring that workers not only recognize hazards but also understand how to properly apply the measures designed to protect them,” IUP Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering faculty member and project co-investigator Dr. Majed Zreiqat said.
“By equipping both workers and employers with practical knowledge and tools to manage chemical and energy hazards, IUP’s OSHA training grant program seeks to reduce workplace injuries, enhance regulatory compliance, and foster safer, healthier workplaces across Pennsylvania,” he said.
The IUP Department of Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering is part of the IUP John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The department offers a bachelor’s degree in safety, health and environmental applied sciences; a master’s degree and PhD in safety sciences; and a minor in safety, health and environmental applied sciences.
The department at IUP was formed in 1969 as the Department of Safety Sciences through a grant by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The purpose of the grant was to establish a baccalaureate program in safety management for academic preparation of students to be safety professionals in industry, government, and institutional settings. This program at IUP is believed to be one of the first safety programs in the nation and has been at the forefront of the field since its inception.
IUP’s Pennsylvania Occupational Safety and Health Administration Program is offered through IUP’s Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering Department. IUP consultants, who also are faculty members in the Department, conduct occupational safety and health evaluations and work with business owners to address issues.
The on-site visits are confidential, as the program operates independently from Occupational Safety and Health Administration's regulation enforcement. Thousands of businesses, from factories and laboratories to retail stores and residential and commercial construction projects, have used this no-cost program to protect their workers and make sure they are complying with OSHA regulations.
In 2022, IUP was selected by the United States Department of Agriculture to develop a specialized biosafety/biorisk management certificate program, which launched in 2023. IUP’s program was recognized in a December 2024 “Biosafety and Biosecurity Innovation Initiative Plan for the Bioeconomy” report prepared by the United States government and led by the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. The biosafety/biorisk management certificate program is a collaboration between the Department of Safety Sciences and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Biology.