Safety and health research and advancement have been tantamount to the future of the mining industry. The Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) continues to advocate for this community in light of recent Reductions in Force (RIFs) occurring across the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Mining Program. Recent RIFs have closed all NIOSH Mining Program activities.
NIOSH creates immense value in the mining sector
Recent advancements made possible by the work of NIOSH include cultivating academic expertise in automation, ventilation, and rock mechanics. NIOSH has also been developing virtual reality applications that enhance training and safety, as well as safe processing for mining in the vicinity of gas wells.
Without far-reaching innovations such as these, it becomes increasingly difficult to apply the safest possible approaches to the extraction of minerals that are currently supporting energy independence, national defense, and countless other technologies that make modern life possible. As outlined in a March 20, 2025, executive order demanding increased domestic mineral production, “Transportation, infrastructure, defense capabilities, and the next generation of technology rely upon a secure, predictable, and affordable supply of minerals.”
In addition, mining schools in the US often receive a majority of their research funding from NIOSH. Since 2007, the NIOSH Mining Program has managed grants for universities totalling $55.3 million to support innovative safety and health solutions. This research funding focuses on improving worker safety through developments in automation and other key innovations. Without these funds, mining engineering departments that are competing for students, professors, and other university resources find themselves facing greater shortages than ever.
While there are ongoing federal efforts to bolster the funding of the country’s 14 mining schools, including the pending Mining Schools Act of 2025, NIOSH funding has been a critical, constant resource. This setback has occurred in a pivotal age where the mining sector has been tasked with meeting increased mineral demands while simultaneously cultivating a talent pipeline in the face of significant challenges, including projected retirements over the next two decades and a decline in mining academic degree granting programs.
“The loss of expertise from a nearly gutted program is significant. The ripple effects in the mining industry will negatively impact everything from worker safety to mining innovation to research funding for mining engineering universities,” said David L. Kanagy, SME executive director and CEO. “For an administration that so recently committed to increasing mineral production, this is a puzzling move.”
“Consistent with President Trump’s numerous executive orders pertaining to minerals and the urgent need to increase domestic mineral production, the health and safety research functions of the NIOSH Mining Program are now more important than ever, and they need to be preserved and in a federal organization focused on mining that will optimize their effectiveness,” said Debra Struhsacker, mining and public lands policy consultant.
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