Policy Name:
|
School Safety and Security
Grant (SSSG) Program
|
Policy #:
|
SP-19-04
|
Code/Rule Reference
|
ORC 4121.37 and
OAC 4123-17-56.
|
Effective Date:
|
March 11, 2022
|
Origin:
|
Division of Safety &
Hygiene (DSH)
|
Supersedes:
|
Revised policy issued September
17, 2020.
|
History:
|
Revised March 11, 2022 and September
17, 2020. New policy issued November 29, 2018.
|
Review Date:
|
March 11, 2027
|
I.
Policy Purpose
The Ohio
Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) created the School Safety and
Security Grant (SSSG) Program as an extension and modification of BWC’s general
industry Safety
Intervention Grants Program. BWC uses the SSSG Program to partner with
Ohio schools to substantially reduce or eliminate injuries or illnesses among
school employees and students.
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
equipment where there is high risk for injuries and illnesses, and the specific
equipment is likely to have a significant impact on eliminating future injuries
and 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 or 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 or task where the equipment will be used.
D.
Retroactive purchases: Equipment purchased prior to the
receipt of the warrant from BWC for the safety intervention grant. This
includes ordered equipment, purchased equipment, and received purchased equipment.
E.
The
following definitions found in the Safety
Intervention Grants Program policy do not apply to the SSSG
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 SSSG Program. BWC uses this policy to set forth the
unique components of the SSSG Program.
B. Eligibility
criteria.
1. The employer must be a state fund
private employer or public employer taxing district that has employees who work
with students. The employer must provide information on the application clearly
describing the student population.
2. Eligible employers include:
public and private K-12 schools, charter schools, joint vocational school
districts and licensed pre-schools in Ohio.
a. Pre-schools must be licensed through the Ohio
Department of Education or Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
b. Pre-schools licensed solely under Ohio Department of
Job and Family Services requirements must provide the following supplemental
information with their application:
i. The most recent inspection report with capacity
and enrollment numbers;
ii. A copy of their license; and
iii. A copy of the curriculum provided to the
pre-school population.
3. Employers not eligible for the
SSSG program include:
i. Colleges and universities;
ii. Self-insuring employers;
iii. Professional employer organizations;
iv. Alternate employer organizations; and
iv. State agencies.
4. The maximum lifetime total grant
amount an employer can receive is $40,000 to purchase employee safety
interventions, incident response equipment, facility equipment, transportation
equipment, and ground security equipment described in this policy in sections IV.D.1.a
through IV.D.1.c. The employer can also receive a maximum lifetime total of
$15,000 for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) improvements
listed in Section IV.D.1.d.
5. Equipment purchases have a
three-to-one matching grant requirement to purchase equipment described in this
policy in sections IV.D.1.a through IV.D.1.c. This means BWC gives $3 through
the grant for every $1 the employer contributes. HVAC improvements listed in section
IV.D.1.d have no employer matching requirements.
6. Employers participating in the
Safety Intervention Grant Program are eligible to apply.
a. Employers may apply for the SSSG
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 SSSG Program.
7. BWC reserves the right to visit
the employer based on the information provided in the application and complete
either or both of the following:
a. A pre report and assessment
before approval of the application, or
b. A post report and assessment
after the approval of the grant application.
8. 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; or
b. Provide two years of baseline
data.
C.
Pre-application
steps.
1. The employer must access BWC’s
web site and complete and submit the Application for School Safety and Security
Grant (SH-56) to apply for non-HVAC interventions. The employer must
complete and submit the Application for School Safety and Security Grant–HVAC (SH-61)
to apply for HVAC improvements.
2. The employer must provide BWC
with the following information:
a. Description of organization;
b. The number of employees
performing these tasks;
c. The number of students receiving
services from the employer; and
d. If applying for non-HVAC improvements, a description
of the job tasks impacted by the proposed equipment.
3. The employer must obtain detailed
price quote(s) from the equipment vendor(s). A quote must be specifically for
the employer applying for the grant and must list all items to be purchased. A
quote must include a contact name and contact phone number from the equipment
vendor. BWC highly recommends obtaining quotes valid for 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 use grant funds to purchase the following:
a. Employee safety interventions.
i. Flooring/floor coatings to
reduce slip hazards;
ii. Lightweight lunch tables that
reduce lifting and handling hazards;
iii. Motorized bleacher systems;
iv. Safe food fryers;
v. Cutting/slicing equipment; or
vi. Floor cleaning machines.
b. Incident response equipment.
i. Equipment bags/backpacks
stocked with trauma first aid supplies;
ii. Two-way communication devices and
software designed to interface directly with emergency responders; or
iii. School-wide panic alarm/panic
button system.
c. Facility/transportation/grounds
security.
i. Interior and exterior
security doors and mechanisms (e.g., panic bars or other fire code compliant
door locking mechanisms, bullet proof glass, bullet resistant coating materials
for existing glass);
ii. Protective vehicle crash barriers
in front of entrances;
iii. Modifications of
building/facility entrances to restrict access;
iv. Secured keycard or keycode systems;
v. Metal detectors (fixed or
portable);
vi. Security cameras; or
vii. Emergency (police dispatch) call poles.
d. HVAC improvements.
i.
Engineering services, recommissioning, or retro-commissioning of existing HVAC
systems or ventilation systems related to improving indoor air quality;
ii.
Servicing of HVAC or ventilation systems to ensure ventilation and outdoor
air intake systems are operating as intended;
iii.
New, replacement or additional temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO2)
monitoring for improved indoor air quality monitoring;
iv.
Verification or review that the existing systems are providing code required
ventilation under Ohio Mechanical Code/American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62.1 or 62.2;
v.
Purchase of Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV-13) or higher filters for
HVAC systems to improve IAQ;
vi. Improvements to
building control systems to allow for increased ventilation;
vii. HVAC system modifications to allow
for increased ventilation above the Ohio Mechanical Code required minimum;
viii. Ventilation
modifications due to fewer building occupants so existing HVAC system can
handle additional ventilation load;
ix. Commercial grade
portable point-of-use air filtration systems with minimum MERV-13 or High
Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) standards; or
x. Air treatment devices
that may include, but are not limited to, ionization technology or ultraviolet
(UV-C) technology designed to reduce airborne pathogens.
2.
BWC
will not approve an SSSG Program application for any equipment not listed in
section IV.D.1. above.
3. The
employer must submit the completed application with all questions answered in
writing to BWC.
4.
Section
V (Budget) and Section VI (Agreement) of the application require the signature
of an employee who has fiduciary responsibility for the employer.
5.
The
employer agrees as the signer of the agreement that he or she, and any assigns
or successors, are bound by the employer’s SSSG Program obligations 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. For non-HVAC interventions, submit
a case study to BWC one year after the anticipated equipment implementation
date provided on the SH-56. For HVAC improvements, no case study is required.
6. There are no quantity limitations
to the items listed in section IV.D.1.
7. When a school, which falls under
a municipality’s BWC policy number or a county’s BWC policy number, applies for
a grant, BWC distributes the grant funds to the municipality or county board
for the approved use.
E.
BWC
evaluation of application.
1. BWC considers the employer’s
application complete if the following items are received:
a. The completed application;
b. The Statement of Agreement with
original signatures; and
c. The Budget page with original
signatures and corresponding vendor quotes.
2. The SSSG Program grants are
considered fast track grants and are reviewed by two members of the Review
Committee who recommend approval or denial of the application to the Superintendent
of DSH.
F.
Operation
of program.
1. If the grant is for non-HVAC improvements, the
employer must agree to submit one case
study to BWC one year after the implementation of the equipment.
a. The case study must be submitted
within thirty (30) days of the one-year anniversary of the equipment implementation
date.
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 SSSG Program web
page.
d. BWC requires 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 encouraged but are optional.
2. The employer is not required to
submit quarterly data reports to BWC for two years after the equipment is
implemented.
3. BWC reserves the right 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. A school received a Safety
Intervention Grant in the amount of $40,000 to purchase a portable scissor lift
to assist facility maintenance tasks. The grant check was dated five months
prior to an SSSG Program application to purchase slip resistant flooring for
the elementary school kitchen. 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 the SSSG Program. This employer is not be eligible to apply for
the SSSG Program until the required documentation is submitted.
2.
A
school district applies for the SSSG Program in the amount of $5,000 to cover
the cost of first aid trauma kits. Two months after receiving the grant, the school
district applies for $18,000 to purchase security cameras. What are the
matching amounts, and may the school district submit a third grant for other
items?
Response:
If the total cost of the trauma kits is $5,000, the school district’s three-to-one
employer match for this grant is $1,250. The school district’s three-to-one
employer match for $18,000 to purchase security cameras is $4,500. The school
district still has $22,750 ($40,000 - $3,750 - $13,500) available from BWC for
future applications under the program until maximum total grant funds are
exhausted.
3. A school
district applies for the SSSG Program in the amount of $40,000 to cover the
cost of security cameras. The school district now wishes to apply for $15,000 for
various HVAC improvements. Is this allowable?
Response:
Yes. The employer has received the maximum award ($40,000) for items included
in employee safety interventions, incident response equipment, and
facility/transportation/ground security. However, they are still eligible to
apply for up to $15,000 for HVAC improvements.