NIOSH Mining Program Partnerships

The NIOSH Mining Program engages in partnerships with interested parties to share information and solutions about some of the most pressing health and safety issues. Currently active partnerships include:

• Automation and Emerging Technologies Partnership: Addresses concerns and shares solutions regarding automation and emerging technologies.
• Miner Health Partnership: A partnership between the NIOSH Mining Program, MSHA, unions, academia, and labor and trade groups to share information concerning miner health.
• Mine Slope and Subsidence Monitoring Partnership: Investigating the use of existing stability/subsidence monitoring technologies used in the mining and quarry industries and evaluates the potential for early instability detection design. 

Previous Partnerships

• Breathing Air Supply Partnership: Addressed issues about improving breathing air supply technology for mine escape and rescue.
• Respirable Mine Dust Partnership: MSHA/NIOSH partnership that addressed issues concerning exposures to a broad range of respirable hazards, including respirable crystalline silica (quartz).
• Diesel Exhaust Health Effects Partnership: MSHA/NIOSH partnership that shared information about solutions to the health effects of exposure to diesel exhaust gases.
• Rock Dust Partnership: Addressed issues about using rock dust to prevent coal dust explosions.
• Proximity Detection Partnership: Addressed issues about proximity warning and collision prevention systems in underground coal mines.
• Refuge Alternative Partnership: Addressed issues about refuge alternatives in underground coal mines.