Strategic Goal 1 - Respiratory diseases:  Reduce respiratory diseases in miners by reducing health hazards in the workplace associated with coal worker pneumoconiosis, silicosis, and diesel emissions.

Research Projects:

1.  Assessment of Personal Particulate Exposure 2.  Characterizing Diesel Emissions in Underground Mines 3.  Advanced Spray Dust Capture Principles for Mine Dust Control 4.  Control of Silica Dust Exposures in Underground Coal Mining 5.  Dust Control for Longwall Mining 6.  Improving Ventilation Technology in Large Opening Mines 7.  Miners’ Response to Personal Dust Monitor Feedback 8.  Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) 9.  Reducing Underground Miners’ Exposure to Diesel Emissions 10.  Selection and Evaluation of Diesel Emission Controls for Outby Underground Coal Mine Equipment 11.  A Cohort Mortality Study With A Nested Case-Control Study Of Lung Cancer And Diesel Exhaust Among Non-Metal Miners 12.  Silica Dust Control in Metal/Nonmetal Mining 13.  Surface Mine Dust Control 14.  Ultrafine Aerosols From Diesel-Powered Equipment

Conducting dust sampling on longwall face

Strategic Goal 2 - Hearing loss:  Reduce noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in the mining industry.

Research Projects:

1.  A Health Hazard Study of Surface Drilling Operations 2.  Cross-Sectional Survey: Noise Exposure Patterns/Sources 3.  Definition and Assessment of Engineering Noise Controls 4.  Engineering Noise Controls for Roof Bolting Machines 5.  Health Communication Interventions for Hearing Loss Prevention 6.  Hearing Loss Prevention: Hearing Protection and Audibility Considerations 7.  Pilot Study on Coal Cutting Noise Related to Continuous Mining Machines

NIOSH engineers conducting a noise survey in a dragline

Strategic Goal 3 - Cumulative injuries:  Reduce repetitive/cumulative musculoskeletal injuries in mine workers.

Research Projects:

1.  Ergonomics Evaluation and Improvement of Mobile Equipment 2.  Ergonomics Process Effectiveness in Mining 3.  Reduce Injury & MSD Risk from Human-Machine Interaction 4.  Successful Aging for Miners Through Ergonomics (SAME)

Mechanic uses a support for an impact wrench to reduce exposure to MSD risk factors

Strategic Goal 4 - Traumatic injuries:  Reduce traumatic injuries in the mining workplace.

Research Projects:

1.  Evaluating Roadway Construction Work Zone Interventions 2.  Lockout/Tagout, Jammed, and Moving Machinery Controls 3.  Mobile Mining Equipment Warning Systems 4.  Protocol for Evaluating Quality of Explosives in the Field 5.  Reducing Electric Arc-Induced Injuries in Mining 6.  Remotely-Controlled Bulldozer on Coal Stockpiles 7.  Safety Enhancements for Off-Road Haulage Trucks 8.  Safety Solutions to Prevent Mining Materials-Handling Accidents 9.  Smart Wearables for Hazardous Work Environments 10.  Surface Blasting Safety and Health 11.  Virtual Reality for Mine Safety Training

PRL technician pours kerosene on the wood cribbing in preparation for the Heavy Confinement Pipe Bomb test

Strategic Goal 5 - Mine disasters:  Reduce the risk of mine disasters (fires, explosions, and inundations); and minimize the risk to, and enhance the effectiveness of, emergency responders.

Research Projects:

1.  CCER Standard 2.  Coal Mine Face Methane Control and Monitoring 3.  Design Guidelines for Mine Ventilation Stoppings 4.  Fire Hazard Reduction in the Metal and Nonmetal Mining Industry 5.  Investigation of Methane Control Issues in Underground Mines 6.  Lake Lynn Laboratory 7.  Long Term Field Evaluation (LTFE) 8.  Mine Rescue and Response 9.  Prevention and Mitigation of Gas/Dust Explosions 10.  Prevention and Mitigation of Mine Inundations 11.  Reducing Fire Hazards in U.S. Coal Mines 12.  Remote Methods for Addressing Coal Mine Fires 13.  SCSR Training Modules 14.  Smoke Management and Fire Modeling for Underground Mines

Full-scale verification testing in the NIOSH Experimental Coal mine of the transverse loading capacity of a mine ventilation stopping

Strategic Goal 6 - Ground control:  Reduce ground failure fatalities and injuries in the mining industry.

Research Projects:

1.  Development and Evaluation of Innovative Roof Support Technologies 2.  Fragmentation Methods and Ground Control Safety 3.  Fundamental Studies of Factors Responsible for Falls of Ground 4.  Ground Stability Through Advanced Mine Design 5.  Guidelines for Eliminating Hazardous Ground Conditions From Underground Stone Mines 6.  Identification and Control of Rock Burst Hazards 7.  Preventing Injuries from Falling Rock in Underground Coal Mines 8.  Reduce Groundfall Hazards in Nevada 9.  Roof Fall Evaluation and Mediation in Weak Rocks 10.  Slope Stability Hazards Recognition 11.  Stability Assessment with Seismic Monitoring

Roof bolter advances his own protection using the Personal Bolter Screen (PBS)

Strategic Goal 7 - Surveillance and training:  Determine the impact of changing mining conditions, new and emerging technologies, training, and the changing patterns of work on worker health and safety.

Research Projects:

1.  Chemical Hazards in Coal Mining 2.  Chemical Hazards in Mining 3.  Disseminating Safety and Health Interventions Via the Internet 4.  Education and Training for an Evolving Mining Work Force 5.  Evaluation of Heat Stress and Interventions in Surface and Underground Mines 6.  Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance 7.  Health Communications Program 8.  Surveillance of Mine Safety Hazards 9.  Surveillance: National Survey of the Mining Population 10.  Workplace Stress Among Underground Coal Miners

Members of a mine rescue team wearing masks and other gear that can lead to an increased heat burden