WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the University of Southern Maine (USM) has been awarded a $100,495 grant by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as part of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. USM will use the funds to develop a one-hour, web-based workplace violence training program for home care assistants and workers in small, community-based nursing homes. 

“Prevention and training programs are a proven and effective means of reducing incidences of workplace violence,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement. “This program being developed by the University of Southern Maine will provide valuable training for home care assistants and assisted living professionals while helping safeguard the well-being of society’s more vulnerable members.”

The purpose of the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program is to provide training and education for workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the OSH Act.  The Susan Harwood Program prioritizes funding for training initiatives that disseminate information among workers who are in high-hazard industries or who may have trouble accessing important health and safety information.  Since 1978, over 1.8 million workers have been trained through this program.

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