NATE Receives U.S. Department of Labor Training Grant

$95,000 Susan Harwood Grant Will Support Development of Heat Illness Awareness & Prevention for Telecom Training Curriculum

WASHINGTON, D.C. – NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to receive a $95,000 Susan Harwood Training and Educational Materials Development Grant for the 2026–2027 program year.

NATE will use the grant funding to develop a Heat Illness Awareness & Prevention for Telecom Training Curriculum designed specifically for the communications infrastructure industry. The curriculum will provide industry-specific guidance to help telecommunications employers and employees recognize, prevent, and respond to heat-related illnesses in a variety of work environments.

The training will feature practical instruction tailored to telecommunications operations, including environmental, work-related, and personal risk factors; the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses; prevention strategies such as hydration, acclimatization, work planning and the buddy system; and appropriate emergency response procedures.

The Heat Illness Awareness & Prevention for Telecom Training will be tested through a pilot training course before the curriculum is made available to small business employers and employees for use within their companies and organizations.

The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program competitively awards funding to nonprofit organizations to support workplace safety and health training and educational initiatives. Grants are awarded annually based on Congressional appropriations.

“NATE is thrilled to once again receive a Susan Harwood Grant and looks forward to bringing together some of the Association’s leading subject matter experts to develop this important training curriculum,” said NATE Projects Manager Kimberly Elliott. “The Susan Harwood Grant Program continues to be an invaluable resource that enables NATE to develop high-quality, industry-specific safety education that our member contractor firms and other communications infrastructure employers can put to use in the field.”

To read OSHA’s press release announcing the 2026 Susan Harwood Grant recipients, click HERE.

Contact: Todd Schlekeway 
605-310-8600

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association
September 28, 2026

NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association is a non-profit trade association dedicated to providing a unified voice for companies in the diverse tower, broadband and communications infrastructure industries. It is recognized as the tower industry leader in promoting safety, standards, and education. Today, the Association boasts approximately 1,000 member companies (mostly small businesses) that construct, service or maintain hundreds of thousands of communications towers and next generation networks throughout the United States and several other countries.