The center will be run by a group of universities, including the Colorado School of Mines, Montana Tech, and the University of Utah.
“The primary goal of the center is to reduce the number of injuries to miners through an integrated program of training intervention and translational research,” said UMR professor of mining Dr Larry Grayson, who has been appointed the center’s director.
The center’s goals include identifying the training needs of mining personnel; developing and conducting a training program for mine safety and health issues; providing qualified instructors and faculty across the West to train mining personnel in target areas; evaluating the effectiveness and impact of the training program; and publicizing and distributing project results.
“The mining industry will be able to use the center’s guidelines to assess the effectiveness of job safety training when hazardous situations occur,” said Grayson.
The five-year program will begin this month.
