Miners unions sue over COVID safety

Two unions representing miners on June 16 jointly filed a lawsuit to force the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard protecting miners from infectious diseases in light of the closed quarters many industry workers face.

The United Mine Workers of America International Union and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union filed their petition for a writ of mandamus in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and are asking for an expedited hearing process with a ruling to be issued within 30 days of the Court granting the writ.

“Working in a mine is very different from working in any other workplace,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said in a statement. “The air is circulated throughout the mine, meaning an airborne disease like COVID-19 can spread among workers who are far removed from one another. A six-foot social distance is meaningless in an underground environment.”

“If MSHA fails to issue an ETS to address this unprecedented crisis, the life and health of tens of thousands of miners will be placed in grave danger as a result of the miners’ increased exposure to COVID-19,” the filing states.

More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.