NIOSH Miner Safety and Health Training Program - Western United States – U60

Background Despite advances in technology and improvements in work environments, mining remains one of the most challenging and hazardous occupations in the United States. The industry continues to experience a fatality rate nearly three times higher than the national average for all industries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Public MSHA data show that in 2025, the U.S. mining sector employed 372,899 workers and operated 12,600 mining sites nationwide. That year, the industry reported 33 fatalities, and the fatality rate for 2015–2025 ranged between 8 and 16 per 100,000 FTE. MSHA reported that the overall mining industry's all-injury rate reached 1.74 injuries per 200,000 hours worked in 2025. Purpose The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to enhance the quality, relevance, and availability of health and safety training for miners in the Western United States. Availability includes training frequency, geographic access, delivery methods and partnerships, and the cultural and educational appropriateness of materials. This NOFO is intended to complement, not duplicate existing MSHA, OSHA, and state-supported training programs and to address unmet needs specific to Western mining operations. For this announcement, the Western Region States are defined as the states included in the NIOSH Western States Division (WSD) geographic area. These states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Objectives Under this NOFO, applicants are expected to develop and implement training and education programs that: • Identify and address specific health and safety training needs of miners in the Western United States. • Develop and deliver miner health and safety training through qualified instructors or faculty (excluding emergency response and hazmat training). • Create and implement "train-the-trainer" programs to expand regional training capacity. • Increase the number of qualified instructors with the technical and practical expertise needed for high quality training. • Evaluate training effectiveness and impact, including improvements in knowledge, behaviors, practices, and injury or illness prevention. • Collaborate with existing MSHA, OSHA, state, industry, and...

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the HHS Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

The major elements in evaluating proposals include assessments of: (1) the scientific merit and general significance of the proposed study and its objectives; (2) the technical adequacy of the experimental design and approach; (3) the competency of the proposed investigator or group to successfully pursue the project; (4) the adequacy of the available and proposed facilities and resources; (5) the necessity of the budget components requested in relation to the proposed project; and (6) the relevance and importance to stated program objectives. Training Grants: Criteria used in evaluating training proposals include: (1) Overall potential contribution of the project toward meeting program objectives; (2) the need for training in the areas outlined in the application; (3) curriculum content and design; (4) previous record of training; (5) evaluation methods; (6) experience and training of the project director and staff; (7) institutional commitment; (8) academic and physical environment; (9) past performance; and (10) appropriateness of budget. The following criteria will be used in considering the scientific and technical merit of SBIR Phase I grant applications: (1) The soundness and technical merit of the proposed approach; (2) the qualifications of the proposed principal investigator, supporting staff, and consultants; (3) the technological innovation of the proposed research; (4) the potential of the proposed research for commercial application; (5) the appropriateness...