The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) announced it has been awarded a federal grant in the amount of $165,000 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The grant was awarded through the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, which provides funding for nonprofit organizations to conduct in-person, hands-on training and educational programs for employers and workers on the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in their workplaces.

"With the help of this grant, we can work toward keeping workers safe," said Mark Garvin, TCIA president. "It is an important component toward achieving our industry's goal of reducing injuries and fatalities with respect to electrical hazards in tree care work."

TCIA will develop approximately 25 free workshops and train 750 employers and employees of tree care companies in safe ways to handle electrical hazards associated with trees. These select workshops, financed 100 percent through federal funds, will be offered to small businesses and limited-English, low-literacy, and hard-to-reach workers throughout 19 states.

“No one should ever suffer injury or death for the sake of a paycheck,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis in announcing the grant. “The grants awarded by the federal government today will provide tools for workers and employers in some of the most dangerous industries to identify and eliminate hazards. This education and training will help ensure that every worker returns home safely at the end of his or her shift.”

Founded in 1938, TCIA is a public and professional resource on trees and arboriculture. It develops safety and educational programs, standards of tree care practices, and management information for tree care companies throughout the world. TCIA also has the nation’s only tree care company accreditation program, a seal of approval that helps discerning consumers identify trustworthy companies.

TCIA’s Electrical Hazards Awareness Program (EHAP), introduced in 1975, has helped train thousands of arborists – those involved in line clearance and those working on residential properties near energized lines.