Description
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), is making up to $400,000 available in grant funds for education and training programs to help identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines. The focus of these grants for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 will be training and training materials on powered haulage (in particular, reducing vehicle-on-vehicle collisions, increasing seat belt use, and improving belt conveyor safety), improving safety among contractors, reducing electrocutions, improving training for new and inexperienced miners, mine emergency prevention and preparedness, and other programs to prevent unsafe conditions in mines. Applicants for the grants may be states and other governments (to include the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) and private or public nonprofit entities (to include Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Alaska Native entities, Indian-controlled organizations serving Indians, and Native Hawaiian organizations). MSHA could award as many as eight grants. The amount of each individual grant will be at least $50,000, and the maximum individual award will be $400,000. This notice contains all of the information needed to apply for grant funding. This program provides funding for education and training programs to better identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe working conditions in and around mines. The program uses grant funds to establish and implement education and training programs or to create training materials and programs. The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act) requires the Secretary to give priority to mine safety demonstrations and pilot projects with broad applicability. The MINER Act also mandates that the Secretary emphasize programs and materials that target miners in smaller mines, including training mine operators and miners on MSHA standards, high-risk activities, and other identified safety priorities. MSHA priorities for the FY 2020 funding of the annual Brookwood-Sago Grants will focus on powered haulage (in particular, reducing vehicle-on-vehicle collisions, increasing seat belt use, and improving belt conveyor safety), improving safety among contractors, reducing electrocutions, improving training for new and inexperienced miners, mine emergency prevention and preparedness, and other programs to prevent unsafe conditions in mines. MSHA expects Brookwood-Sago grantees to develop training materials or to develop and provide mine safety training or educational programs, recruit mine operators and miners for the training, and conduct and evaluate the training. MSHA will give special emphasis to programs and materials that target workers at smaller mines, including training miners and employers about new MSHA standards, high risk activities, or hazards identified by MSHA.