NIOSH Mining Program Poised to Support Mining of Critical Minerals

 

Critical minerals such as cobalt, copper and lithium, and the rare earth elements like cerium, neodymium and lanthanum are used in semiconductors, electric vehicles, aerospace components, and medical devices. Workers who mine these critical minerals are vital to our economy, national security, energy independence, and technological advancement. The Mining Program of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is uniquely positioned to help achieve President Trump’s Executive Order—Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production—which aims “to facilitate domestic mineral production to the maximum possible extent.”[1]

Increased critical mineral extraction means more mines, new miners, new methodologies, and new work tasks, which NIOSH analyses show may result in more injury or illness for miners. The research and real-world prevention projects conducted by the NIOSH mining program improve the health and wellbeing of the mining workforce, thus enhancing workplace productivity for a rapidly expanding critical minerals industry.

The NIOSH mining program’s strong partnerships with the mining industry, combined with its strategically located laboratories in the mineral-rich regions of the western and eastern United States, position it exceptionally well to support the expansion of critical mineral exploration and production in a safe manner. The program also actively works together with various government agencies, such as (1) collaborating with NASA on development of a rescue robot for underground mines, (2) participating in the Federal Mining Dialogue Critical Minerals Subcommittee and contributing valuable insights to a report and engaging in discussions on mine waste principles and exposure measurement, and (3) working with DOE’s CORE-CM program to develop critical mineral supply chains from unconventional resources in Appalachia.

NIOSH Mine Safety and Health Research Highlights

Safety Research

The NIOSH mining program identifies and eliminates safety issues arising from dynamic mine conditions and changing technologies, with a specialized focus on geo-mechanical instabilities, localized ground falls, machine safety, and worker interaction with automated systems.

Current research includes management of ground support for long-term stability in various western U.S. underground operations where manganese, zinc, nickel, copper, cobalt, silver, and lead are mined.

The NIOSH mining program’s ongoing highwall safety project directly supports safe mining of critical minerals, such as copper, which is mined using open pit or surface mining methods. The mining program has developed knowledge and technology for safer and steeper mining slopes that improves the productivity and economic competitiveness of the mining operations for critical minerals in the U.S.

NIOSH has active projects in ground control (ensuring stability of mined areas), ventilation, and battery safety, which can be applied to mining critical minerals (e.g., lithium, zinc, nickel) in deeper mines, where challenges can be especially complex.

• NIOSH developed software and advanced modeling techniques to describe the behavior of rocks at great depths below the surface.

• NIOSH developed hard rock engineering design evaluation principles for more complex environments, which can be adopted by operators extracting rare earth minerals.

• Current research is evaluating cutting-edge monitoring technology, such as using hyperspectral cameras, to quantify rock strength in deep mines.

Ventilation research is integral to the safe and efficient extraction of critical minerals, as it ensures worker safety, maintains air quality, and optimizes mining operations. The underground mining and processing of many critical minerals generate hazardous dust that poses significant health risks.

• NIOSH developed enhanced modeling techniques that provide effective ventilation solutions for mines operating in expansive open environments.

• NIOSH conducted atmospheric monitoring studies which led to automated ventilation systems that adjust airflow requirements based on real-time gas level assessments and worker locations. This enhances energy efficiency and worker safety, while also reducing operational costs.

Battery technology plays a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of critical mineral extraction. Advanced battery-powered equipment reduces reliance on diesel engines, minimizing emissions and improving air quality in various mining environments, and reduces exposure to harmful exhaust fumes while decreasing fuel consumption and ventilation costs.

• NIOSH is conducting impactful research to mitigate fire and explosion hazards of newer battery technologies used to power underground mining equipment.

NIOSH-developed tools can provide significant flexibility in addressing mine disaster response.

• NIOSH researchers together with large, cross-commodity industry partners, are developing a virtual reality mine rescue training environment and guidelines of operation for emergency response, adaptable to the varied complex environments of the mining industry.

Powered haulage machines, such as trucks and conveyors, are integral to moving critical minerals throughout the mine. These machines are a leading factor in mineworker fatalities.

• NIOSH is examining driver behavior and collision avoidance technologies to minimize incidents.

New and Changing Technology

The NIOSH mining program is also tackling challenges created by the arrival of new technologies, looking to autonomous mining equipment, real-time monitoring, and artificial intelligence methods to accomplish safe and effective mining in operations with deeper deposits.

• A current research project is investigating in-situ leaching for mining deep, hard rock, and marginally profitable metal deposits such as copper. Among the potential benefits: a much smaller workforce would be required underground for the highest-risk jobs, no need for a major tailings dam facility, and limited surface subsidence. Successful completion of this project could provide a major boost for the long-term supply of critical minerals for the United States by making it financially viable to mine deposits that otherwise may never be mined while significantly reducing health and safety hazards.

• Mine operators are looking to autonomous mining equipment, real-time monitoring, and artificial intelligence methods to improve safety and efficiency.

• NIOSH is conducting research to improve machine safety through sensor fusion technology combined with advanced statistical prediction that will be incorporated into a framework for machine situational awareness. This framework can create assured autonomy for mobile, stationary, and hybrid equipment.
• To ensure that autonomous equipment can be implemented effectively and safely, NIOSH has embarked on research to develop guidelines for the coexistence of wireless safety systems in mining.

Health Hazard Prevention

The NIOSH mining program assesses and tracks miner health and hazard exposures and develops and promotes health solutions that maximize worker protection. Rapid growth in critical minerals mining and production can expose workers to well-known health hazards and raise new or previously underrecognized concerns. Possible health hazards associated with the mining and processing of critical minerals include airborne particles such as fibers, asbestos, and crystalline silica and risks related to diesel particulate matter, noise, and ergonomics.

NIOSH research on hazardous exposures can be applied to critical minerals mines to greatly reduce debilitating and fatal health outcomes. The NIOSH mining program:

• developed effective methods for the rapid monitoring of crystalline silica exposure and hazard levels at mines using NIOSH-developed software that continues to advance the frontier of what is possible for monitoring and quantifying hazards.

• developed new methods for controlling these hazards including innovative approaches such as solution mining, in-situ mining, or the re-mining of previously mined wastes, tailings, or slag. These new methods can create new hazards. Re-mining waste and tailings, can expose workers to arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and other heavy metals. NIOSH-developed methods can be tailored to the specific critical mineral ore being mined and the specific mining method being used.

Mining is one of the most physically demanding professions. Significant stressors put mine workers at high risk of fatigue, hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders, substance use disorder, depression, and suicide.

• A recent collaboration with MSHA resulted in a widely publicized and distributed resource guide that helps the mining industry support workers with opioid use disorder.

NIOSH has an important role to play in the initiative to domestically mine critical minerals and rare earth minerals. Ensuring the safety of critical mineral miners will ensure the continuing viability of the American economy.

 

John Howard, MD, NIOSH Director

Javad Sattarvand, PhD, Associate Director for Mining, NIOSH

Stephen G. Sawyer, Jr., PhD, Director, Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, NIOSH

Doug Johns, PhD, Director, Spokane Mining Research Division, NIOSH, and

NIOSH Mining Program Staff

 

 

[1] “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,” March 20, 2025. See https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/immediate-measures-to-increase-american-mineral-production/