The Colorado program focuses its mine safety education and training efforts on the areas where high fatalities and incident (accidents/injuries) rates are occurring in the State. The training provided is site specific and is usually conducted on the mine site. The program emphasizes education about health hazards miners face on their mine site.

The Colorado program creates partnerships to develop national award winning safety training materials that are distributed internationally and nationally. These materials can be found on the website at www.mining.state.co.us and click on Mine Safety.

The Colorado program conducts realistic mine rescue and mine emergency training at the Edgar Mine rescue Training Center and Underground Mine. Special topic training is provided either at the Edgar facility or at the Denver Fire Training Academy. Special topics include: fire barrier, fire fighting, rope rescue, SCSR training, mine emergency plan evaluation, simulated smoke rescue and many others.

The program assists the state Coal Mine Board of Examiners in developing, administering and grading certification tests for many underground and surface coal mine officials. The testing is administered quarterly at different locations around the state.

The Colorado program works with mine operators, contractors and state community colleges to help them develop mine safety training programs and conduct or subcontract mine safety training.

For more program information contact Mr. William York-Feirn at (303) 866-3650 or e-mail bill.york-feirn@state.co.us