OhioBWC - Basics: (Policy library) - File

 

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.