Policy
Name:
|
Safety
Intervention Grant for Employers Working with Persons with Development
Disabilities (EWPDD) Grant Program
|
Policy #:
|
SP-19-03
|
Code/Rule
Reference
|
ORC 4121.37 and OAC 4123-17-56.
|
Effective
Date:
|
May 15,
2023
|
Origin:
|
Division
of Safety & Hygiene (DSH)
|
Supersedes:
|
N/A
|
History:
|
Revised May
15, 2023; New Policy issued September 22, 2017.
|
Review
Date:
|
May 15,
2025
|
I. Policy Purpose
BWC
created the Safety Intervention Grant for Employers Working with Persons with
Developmental Disabilities (EWPDD) Grant Program as an extension and
modification of BWC’s general industry Safety Intervention Grants Program. BWC uses the EWPDD Grant Program to
partner with Ohio employers who provide services to developmentally disabled
children and adults to substantially reduce or eliminate injuries or illnesses
associated with working with the developmentally disabled. No new applications
for the EWPDD program will be accepted after June 28, 2023.
II. Applicability
This
policy applies to BWC Division of Safety & Hygiene (DSH), employers and
their authorized representatives.
III. Definitions
A.
Fast track
grants: Applications for
specific training and/or equipment where there is high risk for injuries and
illnesses, and the specific training and/or equipment is likely to have a
significant impact on eliminating future injuries or illnesses.
B.
Post report and
assessment: A review of
the worksite and newly purchased and implemented equipment using a checklist to
observe and evaluate the area/task where the equipment is used.
C.
Pre report and assessment: A review of the worksite prior to
implementation of the grant purchased equipment using a checklist to observe
and evaluate the area/task where the equipment will be used.
D.
Retroactive
purchases: Training and/or
equipment purchased prior to the receipt of the warrant from BWC for the safety
intervention grant. This includes ordered equipment, paid equipment, and
received paid equipment.
E.
The following
definitions found in the Safety Intervention Grants Program policy do not apply to the EWPDD Grant
Program: Comprehensive safety report, eligibility cycle, moratorium list, and
routine replacement equipment.
IV. Policy
A.
Unless otherwise
specified in this policy, all application requirements, eligibility,
participation criteria, reporting, and procedures stated in the Safety Intervention Grants Program policy apply to the applicants and
participants of the EWPDD Grant Program. BWC will use this policy to set forth
the unique components of the EWPDD Grant Program.
B.
Eligibility
criteria.
1.
The employer must be
a state fund private or public taxing district employer that has employees who
work with children or adults with developmental disabilities. The employer must
provide information on the application clearly describing the services the
employer provides to the developmentally disabled population.
2.
Eligible employers
may include, but are not limited to, county boards of developmental
disabilities, educational service centers, school districts, private schools,
and other profit and nonprofit organizations providing services to Ohioans with
developmental disabilities.
3.
The maximum total
grant amount an employer can receive is $20,000. The employer may only use
grant funds to purchase equipment and training described in this policy.
a.
Equipment purchases
have a five-to-one matching grant requirement. This means BWC gives $5 for
every $1 the employer contributes.
b.
There is no matching
fund requirement for training.
4.
Employers participating
in the Safety Intervention Grant Program are eligible to apply.
a.
Employers may apply
for the EWPDD Grant Program even if they have received up to $40,000 in their
current Safety Intervention Grants eligibility cycle.
b.
Employers who are in
the Safety Intervention Grants Program must be up to date on all required
documentation and reports to be eligible to apply for the EWPDD Grant Program.
5.
BWC reserves the
right to visit the employer based on the information provided in the
application and complete:
a.
A pre report and
assessment before approval of the application, and/or
b.
A post report and
assessment after the approval of the grant application.
6.
The employer is not
required to:
a.
Demonstrate the need
for a safety intervention by describing the significance of the problem and the
effectiveness of the proposed solution.
b.
Provide two years of
baseline data.
C.
Pre-application
steps.
1.
The employer must
access BWC’s web site and download the Application for Safety Intervention
Grant for Employers working with Persons with Developmental Disabilities (SH-55).
2.
The employer must
provide BWC with the following information:
a.
Description of the
organization;
b.
Description of the
job tasks impacted by the proposed training and equipment;
c.
The number of
employees performing these tasks; and
d.
The number of
developmentally disabled persons receiving services from the employer.
3.
The employer must
obtain detailed price quote(s) from the equipment and/or training vendor. The
quote must be specifically for the employer applying for the grant and must
list all items to be purchased. The price quote must include a contact name and
contact phone number from the equipment and/or training vendor. BWC highly
recommends obtaining a quote of one-hundred twenty (120) days or longer.
4.
The employer is not
required to contact the local BWC customer service office to schedule an
assessment by a BWC safety consultant.
D.
Application
requirements.
1.
The employer may
only apply for, and only use grant funds to purchase, the following:
a.
Ceiling lifts;
b.
Floor-based lifting
devices;
c.
Ambulation devices;
d.
Bathing and
toileting chairs;
e.
Hi-low tables;
f.
Nonviolent de-escalation
and/or trauma informed care training; and
g.
Nonviolent de-escalation
and/or trauma informed care training certification.
2.
BWC may approve a
EWPDD grant application for equipment or training not listed in section IV.D.1
above. An employer making such an application must fully explain each item and
its application towards the goal of reducing or eliminating injuries and
illnesses.
3.
The employer must
answer all the questions on the application.
4.
The employer must
submit the completed application in writing to BWC.
5.
Section V (Budget)
and Section VI (Agreement) of the application require the signature of an
employee who has fiduciary responsibility for the employer.
6.
The employer agrees
the signer of the agreement, or his or her successor, will have the authority
and responsibility to ensure the employer’s EWPDD Grant Program obligations are
fulfilled to:
a.
Purchase and implement
the equipment,
b.
Provide receipt
documentation to BWC within one-hundred twenty (120) days of the date of the
grant award, and
c.
Submit a case study
to BWC one year after the equipment implementation date.
7.
There are no item
limitations.
8.
When a county board
of developmental disabilities, which falls under the county’s BWC policy
number, applies for a grant, BWC will distribute the grant funds to the county
board for the approved use.
E.
BWC evaluation of
application.
1.
BWC will consider
the employer’s application complete if the following items are received:
a.
The completed
application.
b.
The Statement of
Agreement with original signatures.
c.
The Budget page with
original signatures and corresponding vendor quotes.
2.
The EWPDD grants are
considered fast track grants and are reviewed by two members of the Review
Committee who recommend either approval or denial of the application to the
Superintendent of DSH.
F.
Operation of program.
1.
The employer must
agree to submit one case study to BWC one year after the training or
the implementation of the equipment.
a.
The report must be
submitted within thirty (30) days of the one-year anniversary date of the grant.
b.
The employer may
request assistance from a BWC safety consultant.
c.
The employer must
complete and submit the case study online through a link provided on the EWPDD
Grant Program web page.
d.
BWC will require an
employer who fails to adhere to the case study reporting requirement to
reimburse the full amount of the grant.
e.
Two- and three-year
case study reports are optional.
2.
The employer is not
required to submit quarterly data reports to BWC for two years after the
equipment is implemented.
3.
The employer is not
required to contact a BWC safety consultant to observe the equipment and
complete a post report and post assessments.
4.
There are no life
expectancy requirements for the equipment purchased.
5.
BWC will not
approve, and the employer may not use, grant funds for retroactive purchases.
G.
Scenarios.
1.
An employer
providing services to adults with developmental disabilities received a Safety
Intervention Grant in the amount of $40,000 to purchase a portable lift to
assist with client mobility. The grant check was dated five months prior to a
EWPDD Grant Program application to purchase training for the employer’s staff.
The employer has not provided BWC the required receipt documentation for the
Safety Intervention Grant Program.
Response: An employer participating in
the Safety Intervention Grants Program must be current on all receipt
documentation and reporting to be eligible for a EWPDD grant. This employer
will not be eligible to apply for the EWPDD Grant Program until the required
documentation is submitted. Additionally, this employer has received the
maximum amount allowed for the Safety Intervention Grant eligibility cycle.
2.
An employer
providing services to children with developmental disabilities applies for a
EWPDD grant in the amount of $5,000 to cover the cost of training. Two months
after receiving the grant, the employer applies for $18,000 to purchase
high/low tables.
Response: The employer received $5,000
from BWC to train staff. The grant did not require the employer to match the
BWC funds. However, the employer must match the funds awarded for the high/low
tables. Since the tables cost $18,000, BWC will provide $15,000 and the
employer must contribute $3,000 to meet the five-to-one matching requirement on
equipment purchases. The employer has now received the maximum of $20,000
allowed for the program and is not eligible for any additional funding.