The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $1 million in grants to nine organizations in seven states to support education and training initiatives that will help identify and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation\u2019s mines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Administered by the department\u2019s Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety grants allow recipients to create training materials, promote and conduct mine safety training or educational programs, and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn examining the mining industry\u2019s troubling trend of fatalities this year, MSHA has found that training deficiencies continue to be a root cause of fatal accidents,\u201d said Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health Chris Williamson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe grants awarded today further key priorities of the agency and the Biden-Harris administration, including preventing fatalities and serious accidents from safety issues, while also addressing miner health, such as preventing exposure to toxic materials like silica dust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2023 recipients are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Established under the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, the grant program honors 25 miners who perished in mine disasters in 2001 at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Ala., and in 2006 at the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, W.Va.<\/p>\n\n\n\n