Enhanced Safety and Health Training for Western Mine Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Miller H ; Reiher M
• Description:
  The Western Mine Training Center at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) is devoted to the development of effective training and education programs for workers engaged in mining operations throughout the Western United States. The cooperative agreement between CSM and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health began in September of 2010 and was renewed in 2014, 2017 and 2020. The overall objective of the cooperative agreement is to reduce the number of injuries and illnesses among workers in western mining operations. This is accomplished through a focused, relevant, and comprehensive training program that educates mine workers on how to identify and proactively protect themselves from risks and hazards in the mining environment. Over the course of the cooperative agreement, CSM has continued to improve and expand upon the initial training program by focusing extensively on Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) required training (Specific Aim 1); being responsive to industry needs for professional and specialized training (Specific Aim 2); and creating meaningful educational experiences for university students, faculty and staff (Specific Aim 3). Specific Aim 1: From September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2020, CSM conducted 79 courses designed to support MSHA training requirements as defined under 30 CFR Part 48 for New Miner, Annual Refresher, and MSHA Instructor training for workers at both surface and underground mines. This training was developed to meet the specific needs of underserved populations working on mine sites, including contractors, suppliers, consultants, equipment manufacturers, and researchers, as well as small mine operators. Specific Aim 2: The successful development of a broad-based Professional Training Curriculum is a significant accomplishment that CSM is particularly proud of and serves as the foundation upon which the program will continue to build on in the future. During the most recent reporting period, CSM created five online courses, delivered seven conference presentations for approximately 357 attendees at five different safety conferences, and conducted three webinars for 58 SME members. Specific Aim 3: Providing educational experiences for university students helps facilitate an understanding of safety and establishes the foundation for life-long learning and a safety ethic that students can take with them into industry (Specific Aim 3). As such, during the project period, CSM taught three one-credit Mine Safety and Health courses (MNGN308) to 65 CSM students, led one tour of the US Silver Galena Mine for five CSM students, delivered 10 guest lectures to approximately 175 mining engineering students at seven universities. CSM believes that the safety training provided to underserved populations has contributed to MSHA recording progressively fewer fatalities per year. It is also important to remember that the impact of training is often difficult to assess, and while the mine safety and health training provided may be directed towards mining workplace hazards, those individuals who are able to apply what they have learned to other aspects of their life will be proficient in identifying hazards and avoiding injuries. These individuals will also convey this knowledge to others creating a cumulative effect which is often overlooked but represents an important outcome of work-related safety and health training. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Mining Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Information Dissemination Injury Prevention Miners Mine Workers Mining Industry Occupational Safety And Health Safety Education Training
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Final Cooperative Agreement Report
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-74
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061441
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2022-100337
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U60-OH-010017, 2020 Nov; :1-74
• Contact Point Address:
  Colorado School of Mines Mining Engineering Department EMCIS Program, 1600 Jackson Street, Suite 180 Golden, CO 80401
• Email:
  hbmiller@mines.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Performing Organization:
  Colorado School of Mines, Golden
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20100901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:32565f276ca82c5a680202fd68b45be8db79cdfe4e04292b51cbcaa875e167f80cb389ca991d8ee00dbc753580b1346ecd58039714ffb953abcee476e2d70dbe
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219030/cdc_219030_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.37 MB ]