Grants seek to bolster education, training for key risks facing miners
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $250,000 in Brookwood-Sago grant funding to three organizations in three states to support education and training initiatives that will help identify and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around the nation’s mines.
Administered by the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety grant program will help recipients to create comprehensive training materials, promote and conduct mine safety training or educational programs, and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts.
In awarding the grants, MSHA gave special emphasis to fund education and training programs focused on workplace safety and health hazards faced where critical materials and other minerals are mined. Training and education supported by the grants align with the Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety grant program’s mission, as well as key MSHA priorities including mine rescue, powered haulage safety, fall safety, and better protection of miners from exposure to silica dust hazards.
Established under the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, the grant program honors 25 miners who perished in mine disasters at the Jim Walter Resources #5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama, on Sept. 23, 2001, and at the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, West Virginia, on Jan. 2, 2006.
| Recipient | City | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arizona | Tucson | AZ | $80,000 |
| The Pennsylvania State University | University Park | PA | $50,000 |
| South Dakota School of Mines & Technology | Rapid City | SD | $120,000 |
Agency Mine Safety & Health Administration
Date September 30, 2025
Release Number 25-1490-NAT
Media Contact: Kristen Knebel
Phone Number 202-693-3435
Email knebel.kristen.cr@dol.gov