SPOKANE, Wash. — A local research facility dedicated to miner safety is shutting down, raising concerns about the future safety of workers.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Spokane’s Logan neighborhood will close in June due to federal budget cuts.
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This decision affects dozens of employees who have dedicated their careers to safety research in high-risk industries such as mining, oil and gas extraction, commercial fishing and wildland firefighting.
Seth Finley, is an engineering technician at NIOSH but spoke out as chief steward of union, Local 1916. He said he is concerned about the closure.
“We’re losing close to 100 people who have dedicated decades of their lives and are enthusiastic about the research we do here, making the American worker healthier and happier,” Finley said.
Some of NIOSH’s research includes studies on heat exposure for mine workers operating below the earth’s surface.
“We’re looking at the heat exposure of mine workers that are down in deeper and deeper levels, and those increase in temperatures as they get deeper,” Finley said.
He said he is worried that without the facility and its research, workers will face greater risks of injury and death.
“What this will do is put the American worker at greater risk of injuries and fatalities without us having to do the research.”
4 News Now reached out to several mining companies in Washington and Idaho, but many declined to comment on the impact of the closure.
The American Exploration & Mining Association, which represents the mineral industry, did respond saying it opposes the cuts. An official said while it understands making the government as efficient as possible the work NIOSH does is needed. If this sector doesn’t fit in with the CDC, an official questioned, then where does it make sense.
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