January 27, 2022

New Outreach Program Encourages COVID-19 Vaccinations for Miners

A new pilot program launched by MSHA is intended to encourage and facilitate coronavirus vaccinations for miners and their communities. The Miner Vaccination Outreach Program will deliver free COVID-19 vaccinations and provide educational outreach on the safety and efficacy of the vaccines to mining communities in Kentucky and Arizona, where several mining operations are located and vaccination rates are low. According to MSHA, participation in the program is voluntary and free for mine operators in these states. Jeannette Galanis, who currently leads MSHA as the acting assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health, described the effort as “a natural extension of [the agency’s] efforts to ensure safe workplaces.”

“Miners often work in close proximity with coworkers, resulting in quicker spread of the virus in the mining community,” MSHA’s coronavirus webpage stresses.

As part of the program, MSHA hosted three COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week: one in Kentucky that was open to the public and two in Arizona for mine employees only.

More information about the program can be found on MSHA’s website and in the agency’s press release.