WVNCC Offers Miner "Red Hat" Training

The Apprentice Underground Miner “Red Hat” Training Program, required for all new underground miners employed in West Virginia, will be offered in October at the New Martinsville campus of West Virginia Northern Community College.
This training program will be held from 5-10 p.m. Monday through Friday from Oct. 10-28 in New Martinsville. Cost is $450. Class size is limited to 25 persons and pre-registration is needed. More information is available by calling the WVNCC New Martinsville campus at 304-455-4684.

All training materials are provided for the 80-hour orientation program. An additional $10 fee is required for the final examination which must be paid by the student directly to the West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health and Safety.
Attendance is mandatory as required by state law for all new underground miners employed in West Virginia. Participants, who must be 18 years of age or older, are asked to bring a pencil and notebook to the first class. The course is designed to prepare the student for the certification exam that is required to become an entry-level underground coal miner.
Students will be exposed to a general orientation in mining, mining health and safety, mine gases and ventilation, roof and ribs, haulage, emergency response, accident prevention and hazard recognition, and miner and operator rights and responsibilities.