The meeting has been scheduled for October 19 from 7:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be held at the agency’s Bruceton Research Center. It will include a series of short presentations followed by a roundtable discussion. At the conclusion of the NIOSH presentations, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will host a Refuge Alternatives Forum.
Some speakers include Dave Yantek of NIOSH, David Hales of Westmoreland Coal, and Brittany Wilson of MSHA; some presentations include “BIP Stopping and Door Research,” “Mine Heat Input for RA Testing and Simulation,” and “Overview of 2018 RA Structural Component Requirements,” along with several others.
“We believe this partnership is vital to understanding and solving issues related to refuge alternatives,” NIOSH officials said, noting that the partnership is made up of individuals from across industry, labor, manufacturers, academia, MSHA and its own researchers.
NIOSH developed the Refuge Alternatives Partnership to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of NIOSH RA research findings to date; provide a forum for industry, manufacturers, academia and others who are working on improving currently employed RAs and/or the design and testing of novel RA concepts to present their findings; provide a forum for discussion of industry experience with currently employed mobile and built-in-place (BIP) RAs; and provide stakeholders with an opportunity to provide input to NIOSH on research gaps with respect to RAs.
Those seeking to attend the event should contact AKlemetti@cdc.gov to obtain access to the campus, verify attendance and receive a full itinerary.
