Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA OH 20 004
The Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research Cooperative Agreement (RFA OH 20 004) is a federal funding opportunity run through the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), specifically through NIOSH. It stems from the Fishing Safety Research Grant Program authorized by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 and later amended by the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014. The core purpose is to fund research that measurably improves the occupational safety of workers in the commercial fishing industry, a sector known for high injury and fatality risks due to harsh weather, heavy machinery, fatigue, remote operations, and vessel-related hazards.
The opportunity supports practical, safety-focused research and development across several priority areas. These include improving vessel design to reduce incidents like capsizing, flooding, or onboard injuries; developing or upgrading emergency and survival equipment to increase the odds of surviving abandon-ship events; enhancing vessel monitoring systems to improve awareness, tracking, and emergency response; and improving enabling technologies such as communication devices, de-icing systems, and severe weather detection tools. In short, the program is designed to move beyond describing problems and toward building, testing, and accelerating real-world solutions that fishing crews and operators can adopt.
A key feature of this program is that it is structured as a cooperative agreement rather than a typical grant, which generally signals substantial programmatic involvement from the federal agency during the project. Administration and support for the program is reinforced by a Memorandum of Understanding signed on May 17, 2018 between the U.S. Coast Guard and NIOSH. While the Coast Guard and OSHA are responsible for regulatory oversight in commercial fishing safety and health, NIOSH plays the research role: generating new knowledge, developing prevention methods and recommendations, translating science into tools and guidance, and sharing findings broadly to reduce work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. NIOSH also has a long track record of conducting commercial fishing safety research in collaboration with fishing crews, industry stakeholders, and the Coast Guard, emphasizing applied work that can translate into operational improvements.
NIOSH describes a wide range of research objectives that fit the program, leaving room for both engineering and behavioral or systems-level approaches. Supported topics include studying and clarifying how specific hazardous working conditions lead to injuries and fatalities; creating more sensitive ways to evaluate hazards at worksites (including onboard vessels and related operations); developing methods to measure early indicators or precursors of serious injury or fatality risk; creating new protective equipment and engineering controls that reduce hazards at the source; developing improved work practices that reduce exposure to risks; and evaluating whether new or improved safety procedures, methods, techniques, or systems are technically feasible and adoptable. Importantly, the program also calls for considering economic and other real-world factors that affect whether safety innovations actually spread and get used, reflecting an emphasis on implementation and diffusion rather than lab-only success.
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to applicants, including academic researchers, nonprofit organizations, and businesses involved in fishing and maritime issues, as well as other qualified parties with relevant expertise in commercial fishing safety. The funding instrument falls under the health activity category (CFDA 93.262). For this particular posting, the award ceiling was $650,000, with an expected six awards. The opportunity was posted on November 29, 2019, with an original application deadline of January 24, 2020, and applications had to be submitted electronically by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.Apply for RFA OH 20 004
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - ERA in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research Cooperative Agreement" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.262.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 29, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 24, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 500 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Commercial Fishing Occupational Safety Research Cooperative Agreement (RFA OH 20 004)?
It is a federal funding opportunity focused on research and development that measurably improves occupational safety for workers in the commercial fishing industry. The opportunity is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through NIOSH (the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health).
Which federal agency runs this opportunity?
The opportunity runs through HHS/CDC, specifically NIOSH. The program is supported through coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, including a Memorandum of Understanding signed May 17, 2018 between the Coast Guard and NIOSH.
What is the main purpose of this program?
The core purpose is to fund practical, safety-focused research that reduces injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among commercial fishing workers. The program is aimed at moving beyond describing safety problems and toward building, testing, and accelerating real-world solutions that can be adopted by fishing crews and operators.
Why does this program focus on commercial fishing?
Commercial fishing is described as a high-risk sector with elevated injury and fatality risks due to harsh weather, heavy machinery, fatigue, remote operations, and vessel-related hazards.
What type of funding mechanism is used (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?
This opportunity is a cooperative agreement. That typically indicates substantial programmatic involvement from the federal agency during the project, compared with a standard grant.
What authorizing program or law is this opportunity tied to?
The opportunity stems from the Fishing Safety Research Grant Program authorized by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 and amended by the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014.
What are the main priority research areas supported?
The program highlights several practical priority areas, including: improving vessel design to reduce incidents such as capsizing, flooding, or onboard injuries; developing or upgrading emergency and survival equipment to increase survival in abandon-ship events; enhancing vessel monitoring systems for better awareness, tracking, and emergency response; and improving enabling technologies such as communication devices, de-icing systems, and severe weather detection tools.
Does the program support solutions-oriented work, or is it mainly descriptive research?
The opportunity emphasizes solutions-oriented work. It is designed to support building, testing, and accelerating real-world safety solutions rather than only documenting hazards or describing problems.
What kinds of research objectives are considered a fit?
NIOSH describes a broad range of research objectives, including: clarifying how specific hazardous working conditions lead to injuries and fatalities; creating more sensitive ways to evaluate hazards at worksites (including onboard vessels and related operations); developing methods to measure early indicators or precursors of serious injury or fatality risk; creating new protective equipment and engineering controls that reduce hazards at the source; developing improved work practices that reduce exposure to risks; and evaluating whether safety procedures, methods, techniques, or systems are technically feasible and adoptable.
Are both engineering and behavioral or systems-level projects eligible?
Yes. The described scope leaves room for engineering-focused work (for example, vessel design or equipment innovations) as well as behavioral or systems-level approaches (for example, improved work practices, procedures, and adoptability assessments).
What does the program mean by considering real-world factors like economics?
The opportunity specifically calls for considering economic and other real-world factors that influence whether safety innovations spread and get used. This reflects an emphasis on implementation and diffusion, not just technical success in controlled settings.
How do NIOSH, the Coast Guard, and OSHA relate to this program?
The Coast Guard and OSHA are described as responsible for regulatory oversight in commercial fishing safety and health. NIOSH plays the research role by generating knowledge, developing prevention methods and recommendations, translating science into tools and guidance, and sharing findings to reduce work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
Is there an existing collaboration framework behind this opportunity?
Yes. Administration and support are reinforced by a Memorandum of Understanding signed on May 17, 2018 between the U.S. Coast Guard and NIOSH, and NIOSH cites a long track record of commercial fishing safety research conducted in collaboration with fishing crews, industry stakeholders, and the Coast Guard.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to qualified applicants. Examples mentioned include academic researchers, nonprofit organizations, and businesses involved in fishing and maritime issues, as well as other qualified parties with relevant expertise in commercial fishing safety.
What is the CFDA number and category for this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under the health activity category with CFDA 93.262.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling) for this posting?
For this particular posting, the award ceiling was $650,000.
How many awards were expected?
The posting stated an expectation of six awards.
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on November 29, 2019.
What was the application deadline?
The original application deadline was January 24, 2020.
How and when did applications need to be submitted?
Applications had to be submitted electronically by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
What types of hazards and risk factors does the program highlight?
The program highlights risks common to commercial fishing, including harsh weather, heavy machinery, fatigue, remote operations, and vessel-related hazards, all of which contribute to injury and fatality risk.
What is an example of a vessel-related safety improvement area mentioned?
Examples include improving vessel design to reduce incidents such as capsizing and flooding, as well as reducing onboard injuries.
What is an example of emergency preparedness equipment work mentioned?
The opportunity calls out developing or upgrading emergency and survival equipment to increase the odds of surviving abandon-ship events.
What is an example of monitoring or tracking work mentioned?
One priority area is enhancing vessel monitoring systems to improve awareness, tracking, and emergency response.
What is meant by "enabling technologies" in this context?
The opportunity gives examples of enabling technologies such as communication devices, de-icing systems, and severe weather detection tools, which can support safer operations and decision-making in challenging conditions.
Does the program include evaluation of whether solutions can be adopted?
Yes. In addition to developing solutions, the program includes evaluating whether new or improved safety procedures, methods, techniques, or systems are technically feasible and adoptable in real-world commercial fishing operations.
Is the goal limited to U.S. regulations and enforcement?
The information provided describes regulatory oversight roles for the Coast Guard and OSHA and a research role for NIOSH. The cooperative agreement itself is framed around research, development, translation, and sharing of findings to reduce injuries and fatalities in the commercial fishing industry.
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