Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for Department of Energy - Subterranean and Underground Operations

On February 20, 2024, EHSS entered into a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This MOU seeks to promote efficiencies and leverage unique and complementary competencies between agencies to advance worker safety and health (WSH) in DOE subterranean/underground operations.  

Although this MOU is newly established, dozens of WSH professionals from across the DOE complex along with partners from the NIOSH Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) have been working together to evaluate, analyze and assist sites in addressing challenges faced in subterranean operations as part of the formally chartered Subterranean Operations, Oversight and Safety Integrated Project Team (IPT) over the past two years. You can learn more about NIOSH SMRD at: Spokane Mining Research Division Factsheet (cdc.gov)

DOE and NIOSH will focus their efforts on activities to help better understand WSH challenges faced by subterranean facilities and evaluating potential solutions for these unique underground facilities such as the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, NM, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) in Lead, SD, and the Principal Underground Laboratory for Subcritical Experimentation (PULSE), formerly the U1a Complex at the Nevada National Security Site. The future opportunities and possibilities for collaboration on additional WSH initiatives both surface and subsurface are virtually endless.

EHSS is thankful to the numerous multi-discipline professionals that have and continue to contribute to the work of the Subterranean Operations IPT from nearly two dozen site/field offices, program support offices and HQ program elements to advance WSH in the underground.