MSHA to Award Up to $1M Through Brookwood-Sago Grants
Applications are due by July 21.
- By Alex Saurman
- Jun 01, 2023
Funds are now available for safety and health education and training for miners.
According to a news release, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will award up to $1,000,000 through the Brookwood-Sago grant program, which focuses on educating and training miners on “unsafe and unhealthy working conditions” along with hazards such as
- “Exposure to respirable dust and crystalline silica.
- Safe use of powered haulage and mobile equipment.
- Mine emergency and mine rescue preparedness.
- Electrical safety.
- Insufficient training of new and inexperienced miners.
- Lack of training for managers and supervisors performing mining tasks.
- Pillar safety for underground mines.
- Lack of personal protective equipment to prevent falls from heights and other unsafe conditions.”
Applications close July 21, 2023, and grants will be awarded by September 30, 2023. Applications are available online. Mines that are smaller in size, have underserved populations and “make diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility priorities” will be given special consideration.
The Brookwood-Sago grant program honors miners who lost their lives at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine and the Sago Mine. In 2001, according to the Chicago Tribune, 13 workers died from a mine explosion at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama. In 2006, 13 workers were trapped inside of the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, West Virginia, after an explosion. According to WCHS, only one of the miners survived.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.