School of Public Health professor leads research in mine safety

   

Dr. Doug Myers, Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences will be the Epidemiologist and Research Lead for United Steelworkers in a study funded by the Alpha Foundation.

United Steelworkers will use the $600,000 grant to fund a two-year study titled "Characteristics of and Barriers to Effective Hazard Identification and Control Programs in U.S. Metal and Non-metal mines." The P.I. on the project is Michael J. Wright, Director of Health, Safety, and Environment for United Steelworkers.

The two-year study will identify mine hazards and practices that may deter workers from reporting unsafe or unhealthy working conditions.

The funding is part of Alpha Natural Resources' $48 million investment in a mine-safety research trust, formed after Alpha purchased the former Massey Energy Co., which owned the Upper Big Branch Mine at the time of the 2010 disaster in southern West Virginia.