Ohio Trench Safety Grant | 2021

Trench Safety Grant (TSG) ProgramThe program is available only to Ohio employers who perform trenching and excavating to purchase shoring and shielding equipment.

Please note that the deadline for employers to submit Trench Safety Grant applications for fiscal year 2020 is March 31, 2020. Details for future applications and deadlines will be announced at a later date.

BWC uses the Trench Safety Grant (TSG) Program to partner with Ohio employers to substantially reduce or eliminate injuries associated with trenching operations.  This grant is only available for a short time, and applications must be received by March 31, 2020.  The TSG does not fund equipment purchases for technical rescue operations. The program is available to eligible Ohio employers who wish to purchase the following qualified/allowed items:  

• Shoring: aluminum, hydraulic, or other types of supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins.
• Shielding: trench boxes or other types of supports to protect against soil cave-ins.

As part of our Safety Grant programming, the TSG Program is available only to Ohio employers that perform trenching and excavating. Review the complete program policy, otherwise, click on the appropriate link below for the specific information you want. Eligible employers may receive up to $12,000 for the duration of the TSG Program. This is a 4-to-1 matching grant, which means BWC will provide $4 for every $1 an employer invests in the intervention. To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria at the time of application. 

1. The employer must perform work in trenches or excavations.  The employer must provide information on the application clearly describing their trench work. This grant will not fund equipment purchased for technical rescue operations.
2. Be a state-fund private or public employer taxing district. 
3. Have active Ohio workers’ compensation coverage and maintain continuous active coverage while participating in the program. 
4. Not have more than 40 days of cumulative lapses in workers’ compensation coverage within the prior 12 months. 
5. Be current with respect to all payments due BWC as defined in Ohio Administrative Code 4123-17-14. 
6. Have been in existence for at least two years. 
7. Have reported payroll for at least one full policy year. 
8. Timely report actual payroll for the preceding policy year and pay any premium due upon reconciliation of estimated premium and actual premium. We’ll deem an employer to have met this requirement if we receive the payroll true-up report and any associated premium before the expiration of any grace period.

Unless otherwise specified here, all application requirements, eligibility, participation criteria, reporting and procedures stated for the Safety Intervention Grants Program apply to applicants and participants of the TSG Program.

Four phases of process 

1. Steps to take before you apply for a TSG grant 
2. How to complete the grant application 
3. Receiving your grant funds 
4. Next steps for approved applicants 

Steps to take before you apply for a TSG grant

1. Determine your eligibility. Eligible employers may apply for up to $12,000 from BWC. 
   • This is a 4-to-1 matching grant, which means BWC will provide $4 for every $1 an employer invests in the intervention. 
2. Identify which of the items below you will apply for.  
   • Shoring: aluminum, hydraulic, or other types of supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins.
   • Shielding: trench boxes or other types of supports to protect against soil cave-ins.
3. Contact your equipment vendor and obtain price quote(s) to submit with your application.  

How to complete the grant application

1. Download and print the Application for Trench Safety Grant (SH-57) 
2. The application includes Appendix A & B. These are to be submitted with the follow-up documentation after the application has been approved.    
   • Appendix A: Training Log
   • Appendix B: Competent Person Evaluation 
3. Complete all sections of the application, budget and statement of agreement.
4. Important: Be sure to read the section below, Additional information on the Budget and Statement of Agreement. 
5. Mail sections I – VI to the address below. Both the Budget and the Statement of Agreement require original signatures. You must include the vendor price quote(s). Please keep a copy for your files. 

Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
Safety Intervention Grants – Trench Safety
13430 Yarmouth Drive
Pickerington, OH  43147-8310

As a potential safety grant recipient, your business must register as a state supplier and obtain a supplier ID number to receive grant funds. Additionally, you must complete a Request for Taxpayer Identification Number & Certification (W-9) and Authorization Agreement for Direct Deposit of EFT Payments (OBM-4310-Rev.11/1/2011). Both forms are available through the Ohio Supplier Portal.

To obtain a supplier ID number and obtain the two forms mentioned above, please complete the following:

1. Register in OH|ID by creating an account with a username/password that can be used for the Supplier Portal. Click on Sign Up to set up an account in OH|ID.
   
   OH|ID is the official identity management solution for all State of Ohio systems.  OH|ID provides an eight-digit user ID that can be used to access a variety of the state’s online applications. It delivers a secure and private experience for users during online interactions with the state.
    
2. Using your OH|ID username/password, access the Ohio Supplier Portal to obtain a supplier ID number.
   
   The Supplier Portal is designed to provide suppliers with convenient access to information about their financial interactions with the State of Ohio. The Supplier Portal is easy to use, accessible across multiple devices (computers, smartphones and tablets), and efficiently enables self-service functionality.

Note: The information you provide on these forms must match the information you provided under your BWC policy. If your policy information is outdated, you must update it to receive your grant funds.

Additional information on the Budget and Statement of Agreement

1. Completing the Budget  
   • You must list all items and costs associated with your grant request in the Budget. You must provide equipment price quote(s) from your selected vendor. The price quote(s) must include the vendor’s name, address and date of the quote, and a contact name with phone number. Additionally, the quote(s) must include the employer’s information with company location. 
   • The Budget and quote detail must match one another. If a cost is not included, it will not be considered. 
   • If you do not include all price quotes, we’ll consider your submission incomplete. 
   • You must include price quotes for all items requested in the Budget. Each item description and dollar amount must match the vendor price quotes. 
   • You must include freight and tax in both the budget and price quotes (even if estimated). 
   • All budget lines must multiply across correctly, and the sum in the Total column MUST be correct. In the calculations section, no rounding is allowed. Include all cents. 
2. Budget and Statement of Agreement signatures  
   • The Budget and Statement of Agreement sections require the signature of someone with fiduciary responsibility for the company, employer’s legal name and principal business location. 
   • We must receive the Budget with price quotes and Statement of Agreement with original signatures before we consider your grant request. 
   • Private employers and public employer taxing districts must sign the budget and statement of agreement. This indicates they have primary fiduciary responsibilities under the employer’s BWC policy number. 
   • The employer agrees the signer or any other person replacing them in the future will have the authority and responsibility to ensure the employer will fulfill its obligations to BWC.

Application considerations

Employers may only use TSG funds to purchase shoring and shielding equipment to substantially reduce or eliminate workplace injuries or illnesses. 

Concurrent program participation

Employers may participate in both the current Safety Intervention Grant and TSG programs. 

Receiving your grant funds

You may only purchase shoring and shielding equipment. You may apply for grant money more than once; however, it cannot exceed the maximum total amount of $12,000 per policy for life of TSG Program. 

Next steps for approved applicants

Purchase receipts

After your equipment has been purchased, provide and submit receipt documentation. 

Employee training

You are required to train your employees who work in and around trenches on the basics of trench safety.  This training must include the following topics, at a minimum.

1. Trenching and excavating hazards.
2. Role of the competent person, including soil classification.
3. Use of protective systems, including:
   • Safe slopes for different soil types and conditions.
   • Shoring.
   • Shielding.

This training must be provided after Feb. 1, 2020, and a training log (Appendix A) must be provided to BWC with your purchase receipts within 120 days of receipt of the grant approval letter. 

• Training Option A (Employees should review short video plus trench safety card.)
  • Video link (English) or Video link (Spanish)
  • Trench safety card (English) or Trench safety card (Spanish)
• Training Option B (employer-provided training)
  • Employer-provided training that covers the topics outlined above.

Competent Person evaluation

Evaluate your designated trench safety competent person, and submit the evaluation with your purchase receipts. This evaluation (Appendix B) must be provided to the BWC with your purchase receipts within 120 days of receipt of the grant approval letter.  

BWC reserves the right to visit the employer and complete a pre-intervention assessment before approval of the application, or a post-intervention assessment after the approval of the grant application, based on the information provided in the application.

Questions

For general questions contact BWC Division of Safety & Hygiene Safety Grant Programs.
Phone: 1-800-644-6292
Fax: 614-365-4972
Email: DSH safety grants 

For technical questions contact Ohio Public Employment Risk Reduction Program.
Phone: 1-800-671-6858
Fax: 614-621-5754
Email: PERRP requests