One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research

The early focus of mining research at Twin Cities Research Center was on novel methods of rock
fragmentation. By the mid-1980s, Twin Cities Research Center research included coal and rock
fragmentation, advanced fragmentation techniques, rock physics, drilling technology, blasting,
in-situ mining and leaching, mine hydrology, waste water technology, vibrations from surface
blasting, diesel emissions, surface mine equipment safety, fire protection, and respirable dust
generation.
5.5.3 Spokane Research Center
In 1951, the Bureau’s mining division in Albany, OR, was moved to Spokane, WA, to locate the
work nearer to the deep mines of Idaho and Montana. This mining division was renamed the
Spokane Research Laboratory in 1963. Early mining research in Spokane focused on mining
extraction methods and equipment and was intended to improve both the safety and efficiency of
mining. The research emphasized regional problems of the deep lead and silver mines in the
Coeur d’Alene mining district of northern Idaho, which is near Spokane. These problems existed
primarily in ground support, rock burst control, and mine waste disposal. The site was renamed
the Spokane Mining Research Center in 1971 and in 1979 became the Spokane Research Center.
The center was located on a 3.4-acre site just north of downtown Spokane (see Figure 35).
Bureau research performed at Spokane in the 1970s and 1980s included ground control, radon
control, mine productivity, mining with backfill, reclamation, and waste disposal technology.
Figure 35. Spokane Research Center, Spokane, WA, circa 1985.
5.5.4 Denver Research Center
The Bureau opened a Denver field office of its Safety Division in 1910. This office assisted in
the training of miners in accident prevention, mine rescue, and first aid. In its first decade, the
Bureau also opened a rare metals experiment station in Denver with a primary focus on methods
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