MSHA Recognizes 20 Mining Operations for Outstanding Safety Records
Twenty mining operations were been honored for their outstanding 2008 safety records in the annual Sentinels of Safety awards program on Oct. 28 and sponsored by MSHA and the National Mining Association.
Mining companies in various operational categories were recognized for achieving the greatest number of employee work hours in 2008 without a fatal injury or an injury that resulted in lost workdays (NFDL) and also had a no-workdays-lost (NDL) incidence rate below the national average for their respective groups. To qualify, a company had to compile at least 4,000 employee work hours during the year. The 20 winning companies collectively amassed 2,695,201 work hours without a lost-time or restricted duty injury.
"These award winners are leading by example, and they are leading the way to a safer mining industry," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "Recognizing these operations for outstanding safety programs shows the rest of the industry that it is possible to run mining operations safely every day of the year."
Sentinels of Safety is the oldest established award for occupational safety. The first award was announced by President Herbert Hoover--a former mining engineer--when he was secretary of commerce in 1925.
First place winners and their numbers of consecutive employee hours recorded in each of the sponsored mining categories are as follows:
- Large Underground Coal Group. Dominion #36, Dominion Coal Corp., Whitewood, Va., 176,554 hours
- Small Underground Coal Group, Clas #4, Clas Coal Co. Inc., Kite, Ky., 64,156 hours
- Large Surface Coal Group, Surface Mine #2, Fola Coal Co. LLC., Bickmore, W.Va., 678,732 hours
- Small Surface Coal Group, North Surface Mine, Alex Energy Inc, Holden, W.Va., 39,006 hours
- Large Coal Processing Facility Group, Chess Processing, Elk Run Coal Co. Inc., Sylvester, W.Va., 154,614 hours
- Small Coal Processing Facility Group, Chesterfield Prep Plant, Omar Mining Co., Madison, W.Va., 28,077 hours
- Large Underground Metal Group, Barrick Cortez Underground, Cortez Joint Venture, Crescent Valley, Nev., 85,208 hours
- Small Underground Metal Group, Resolution Mine, Resolution Copper Mining, Superior, Ariz., 52,348 hours
- Large Underground Nonmetal Group, The Detroit Salt Mine, Detroit Salt Co. LLC, Detroit, Mich., 97,132 hours
- Small Underground Nonmetal Group, New York Mine, Imerys Marble Inc., Marble Hill, Ga., 40,478 hours
- Large Open Pit Group, Dry Valley Mine, URS Washington Division, Soda Springs, Idaho, 241,185 hours
- Small Open Pit Group, Kaufman-George Pit, New NGC Inc., Ft. Dodge, Iowa, 14,479 hours
- Large Quarry Group, Three Rivers Quarry, Martin Marietta Materials Inc., Smithland, Ky., 197,795 hours
- Small Quarry Group, South Ridge Granite Quarries, South Ridge Granite Quarries Inc. Comer, Ga., 13,374 hours
- Large Dredge Group, Briggs Plant, Fordyce Holdings Inc., Victoria, Texas, 188,463 hours
- Small Dredge Group, Garland Aggregates, IA Construction - Franklin, Pa., 10,531 hours
- Large Bank or Pit Group, ISP Granule Products, LLC, ISP Granule Products, LLC, Ione, Calif., 140,639 hours
- Small Bank or Pit Group, Big Red Dirt Farm, Big Red Dirt Farm LLC. Fayetteville, Ark., 9,627 hours
- Large Metal Nonmetal Mill Group, Edgar Plant, BASF Catalysts LLC. McIntyre Ga., 438,023 hours
- Small Metal Nonmetal Mill Group, Dixie Lee Quarry, Vulcan Construction Materials L.P. Inc., Concord, Tenn., 24,780 hours