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News Release
MSHA News Release: [09/18/2002]
Contact Name: Rodney
Brown
Phone Number: (202) 693-9425
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Labors Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), in cooperation with the National Mining Association, has named eight U.S. mining operations as winners of its annual Sentinels of Safety award in recognition of their outstanding safety records during 2001. Winning mining operations are from Alabama, Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming.
Qualifying to win this award requires an exemplary commitment to safety and health in the workplace, said Dave D. Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. The winners all deserve the highest praise for their efforts to work safely each and every day.
Since 1926, mining operations in various operational categories have been recognized for achieving the highest number of employee work-hours without an injury that resulted in lost time from work. To qualify for a Sentinels of Safety award, a company must compile at least 30,000 employee work-hours during the year without a lost-time injury or fatality.
The eight winners were the Deep Mine #30 of Paramont Coal Corp. in Dante, Va.; the Black Thunder Mine of Thunder Basin Coal Co., in Wright, Wyo.; the Young Mine of ASARCO, Inc., in Strawberry Plains, Tenn.; the Weeping Water Mine of Martin Marietta Aggregates in Weeping Water, Neb.; the Phelps Dodge Sierrita, Inc., of Phelps Dodge Mining Co. in Green Valley, Ariz.; the Imerys Gantts Quarry of Imerys Carbonates, LLC in Sylacauga, Ala.; the Arena Plant of Hanson Aggregates South Central in Altair, Tex.; and the Briggs Plant of Fordyce, Ltd. in Victoria, Texas. An additional 32 mining operations in 17 states were also recognized for their exceptional safety records.
Considered the most prestigious award in the mining industry, as well as the oldest established award for occupational safety, the Sentinels of Safety competition was begun in 1925 by then-Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover.
The Sentinels of Safety Awards will be presented on Thursday, Sept.19, during a luncheon at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.
FIRST PLACE
First place winners and their number of consecutive employee-hours recorded in each of the sponsored mining categories are as follows:
Underground Coal Group
Deep Mine #30, Paramont Coal Corporation, Dante, VA,
175,582 hours.
Surface Coal Group
Black Thunder Mine, Thunder Basin Coal Company, LLC, Wright, WY,
1,247,939 hours.
Underground Metal Group
Young Mine, ASARCO, Inc., Strawberry Plains, TN,
223,890 hours.
Underground Nonmetal Group
Weeping Water Mine, Martin Marietta Aggregates, Weeping Water, NE,
130,287 hours.
Open Pit Group
Phelps Dodge Sierrita, Inc., Phelps Dodge Mining Co., Green Valley, AZ,
454,936 hours.
Quarry Group
Imerys Gantts Quarry, Imerys Carbonates, LLC, Sylacauga, AL,
212,051 hours.
Bank or Pit Group
Arena Plant, Hanson Aggregates South Central, Altair, TX,
132,565 hours.
Dredge Group
Briggs Plant, Fordyce, Ltd., Victoria, TX,
228,816 hours.
Other mining operations with exceptional safety records during 2001
Underground Coal Group
Dugout Canyon Mine, Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, Wellington, UT, 134,402 hours. Creech
#1, Powell Mountain Coal Co., Inc., St. Charles, VA, 117,708 hours. VICC No. 7, Coastal Coal
Company, LLC, Coeburn, VA, 96,982 hours. No. 1 Mine, Regent Allied Carbon Energy Inc.,
Pound, VA, 83,887 hours.
Surface Coal Group
Kayenta Mine, Peabody Energy, Kayenta, AZ, 920,846 hours. Jewett Mine, Northwestern
Resources Co., Jewett, AZ, 689,827 hours. Decker Mine, Decker Coal Co., Decker, MT,
428,111 hours. Falkirk Mine, The Falkirk Mining Company, Underwood, ND, 408,706 hours.
Underground Metal Group
Deep Star Mine, Newmont Gold Corp., Carlin, NV, 183,560 hours. Clinch Valley Mine,
Pasminco Zinc, Inc., Thornhill, TN, 101,293 hours. San Manuel Mine, BHP Copper, San
Manuel, AZ, 86,002 hours. Lee Smith Mine, Anglogold (Jerritt Canyon) Corp., Elko, NV,
53,447 hours.
Underground Nonmetal Group
Sperry Mine, United States Gypsum Company, Sperry, IA, 115,946 hours. Kerford Limestone
Mine, Kerford Limestone Co., Weeping Water, NE, 75,478 hours. Independent Salt Mine,
Independent Salt Company, Kanopolis, KS, 72,407. Grand Saline Mine, Morton Salt a Rohm
and Haas Co., Grand Saline, TX 59,526 hours.
Open Pit Group
Northshore Mine, Northshore Mining Co., Babbitt, MN, 269,110 hours. Rochester Mine, Coeur
Rochester, Inc., Lovelock, NV, 246,429 hours. Denton-Rawhide Mine, Kennecott Rawhide
Mining Co., Hawthorne, NV, 212,874 hours. Kennecott Barneys Canyon, Kennecott Barneys
Canyon Mining Co., Bingham Canyon, UT, 135,854 hours.
Quarry Group
Lafarge Building Materials, Lafarge Building Materials, Inc., Ravena, NY, 114,534 hours. TXI
Bridgeport Stone Plant, TXI, Bridgeport, TX, 107,600 hours. Servtex Plant, Hanson Aggregates
West Inc., New Braunfels, TX, 102,548 hours. Krome Quarry, Rinker Materials, Miami, FL,
100,447 hours.
Bank or Pit Group
Irwindale Rock Plant, Hanson Aggregate Pacific SW, Irwindale, CA, 129,332 hours. Plant 11, United Metro Materials, Inc., Phoenix, AZ, 126,525 hours. Eagle Mills Plant, Hanson Aggregates, Bearden, AR, 101,446 hours. Showers Plant, Fordyce, Ltd., Victoria, TX,
97,762 hours.
Dredge Group
Porter Plant & Pit, RGI Materials, Porter, TX, 108,680 hours. Lower Burrell Plant, Hanson
Aggregates PMA, Inc., New Kensington, PA, 62,917 hours. Muskogee Dredge, APAC-
Arkansas, Arkhola, Ft. Smith, AR,49,082 hours. Marine Aggregates Services, Marine
Aggregates Services, Martinez, CA, 43,905 hours
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