The Tree Care Industry Association, a public and professional resource for trees and arboriculture, has announced that they have won a federal safety-training grant from OSHA.

The Tree Care Industry Association has announced that they have won a federal grant in the amount of $139,528 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA.

The grant was awarded through the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, which provides grants to fund education and training for workers and employers to help them recognize workplace safety and health hazards, implement injury and illness prevention measures, and inform them of their rights and responsibilities.

"With the help of this grant, we can provide training opportunities that advance worker safety," stated Mark Garvin, TCIA president and CEO. "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 use the to grant to develop 3.5 and 6.5-hour electrical hazards and aerial lift safety training to workers and employers in the landscaping and tree care industries. Training topics will include work practices near utility lines, and aerial lift inspections and operations. Workshops will be offered in English and Spanish, and will cater to small businesses and limited-English, low-literacy workers.

"Since 1978, approximately 2 million workers have been trained through this program, and it is one of the most effective ways we have for communicating with vulnerable and hard-to-reach workers," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels.

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. TCIA's Aerial Lift Specialist course has also trained numerous tree care professionals in aerial lift safety, inspection, preparation and driving.

For more information about TCIA, please visit tcia.org.

Association news and events are listed at landscapearchitect.com. To view the calendar of upcoming events, visit www.landscapearchitect.com, go to the Associations/Events" tab and click on "Search for Events."

If your association has news and/or events that you would like featured on landscapearchitect.com, please send your information via email to associations@landscapearchitect.com