NIOSH and MSHA collaborated recently to publish more resources to mitigate miner exposure to COVID-19. The materials include a web page with guidance for staying healthy, as well as posters, all provided on both MSHA’s and the CDC’s web sites.
The primary CDC page on COVID-19 and mining contains basic information on COVID-19, its symptoms, and how miners can protect themselves. The information is similar to CDC’s general guidance on staying healthy, focused on hygiene, disinfection, and social distancing.
It also focuses particular advice for those with underlying serious medical conditions given their elevated risks with COVID-19. it notes that such individuals should keep a supply of medications on hand, keep vaccinations up-to-date, avoid unnecessary travel, and seek care when needed for their underlying conditions.
CDC and MSHA also published two posters that mining companies and miners can use:
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mining (and in Spanish)
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Miners with Serious Underlying Medical Conditions (and in Spanish)
These new government resources are not the only ones mining companies can call upon to address the latest challenges with COVID-19.
Tracey Oakes O’Brien is a co-author of this article.
