19 mining operations honored as 'Sentinels of Safety'

19 mining operations honored as 'Sentinels of Safety'
Reliable Plant Magazine
- Tulsa,OK,USA
September 20, 2007

Nineteen mining operations have been recognized for outstanding 2006 safety records in the annual Sentinels of Safety awards program jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Mining Association. For the third year in a row, J.M. Huber Corp.’s Sandersville Mill of Sandersville, Ga., and Mississippi Lime Co.’s Peerless Mine of Sainte Genevieve, Mo., have won the safety award in their respective categories.
Mining companies in various operational categories were recognized for achieving the greatest number of employee work hours in 2006 without a fatal injury or an injury that resulted in lost workdays. To qualify, a company was required to compile at least 4,000 employee work hours during the year. This year’s 19 winners worked a combined total of almost 2.7 million hours in 2006 without a lost-time injury.
“Showcasing examples of good safety programs is very important,” said Richard E. Stickler, assistant secretary of labor for MSHA. “Such recognition encourages safe operations to continue their best practices and shows the rest of the mining industry that it is indeed possible to run safe mining operations every day of the year.”
Stickler addressed representatives from the winning companies during an awards ceremony on September 19 in Washington.
The Sentinels of Safety award is the oldest established award for occupational safety. The first one was announced by President Herbert Hoover – a former mining engineer – when he was Secretary of Commerce in 1925. The annual safety competition has continued to this day.
Competition winners and mining operations recognized for their safety records in 2006 are listed on the Web at www.msha.gov/SentinelsofSafety/Awards/2007Sentinel/2007sentinelsofsafety.asp.
2006 Sentinels of Safety Award Winners
First place winners and their numbers of consecutive employee hours recorded in each of the sponsored mining categories are as follows:

Large Underground Coal GroupBurke Branch Tipple, Premier Elkhorn Coal Company, Myra, Ky., 151,970 hours
Small Underground Coal GroupAbundance Coal, Inc., Abundance Coal, Inc., Kite, Ky., 56,665 hours
Large Surface Coal GroupFarmersburg Mine, Black Beauty Coal Company, Evansville & Pimento, Ind., 539,695 hours
Small Coal Processing Facility GroupColumbiana Pits, Buckeye Industrial Mining Company, Lisbon, Ohio, 27,445 hours
Large Underground Metal GroupNo winner
Small Underground Metal GroupK-2 Mine Site, Kinross Gold Corp Kettle River Operations, Republic, Wash., 29254 hours
Large Underground Nonmetal GroupPeerless Mine, Mississippi Lime Company, Ste. Genevieve, Mo., 279,812 hours
Small Underground Nonmetal GroupLyons Salt Company, Lyons Salt Company, Lyons, Kan., 42,070 hours
Large Open Pit GroupBoron Operations, US Borax, Inc., Boron, Calif., 449,804 hours
Small Open Pit GroupTumbledown Mine, Milwhite Inc., Van Horn, Texas, 15,295 hours
Large Quarry GroupTower Rock St Co St. Genevieve, Tower Rock Stone Company, Columbia, Ill., and Ste. Genevieve, Mo., 229,549 hours
Small Quarry GroupGreen Rock Company Inc #1, Green Rock Company, Inc., Alto, Texas, 14,861 hours
Large Dredge GroupBriggs Plant, Fordyce, LTD, Victoria, Texas, 272,424 hours
Small Dredge GroupAugusta Sand Mine, Rinker Materials of Florida Incorporated, Augusta and Grovetown, Ga., 11,543 hours
Large Bank or Pit GroupSloan Quarry #1001, Frehner Construction Company, Inc., North Las Vegas, Nev., 218,341 hours
Small Bank or Pit GroupNorthumberland Sand Plant, Central Builders Supply Company, Sunbury, Pa., 10,029 hours
Large Metal Nonmetal Mill GroupSandersville Mill, JM Huber Corp, Sandersville, Ga., 306,219 hours
Small Metal Nonmetal Mill GroupForks of the River Quarry, Rinker Materials South Central, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn., 26,635 hours
Other mining operations with exceptional safety records during 2006 included the following:
Large Underground Coal GroupTusky, Rosebud Mining Company, Uhrichsville, Ohio, 96,454 hoursMine #1, Enterprise Mining Company, Whitesburg, Ky., 93,365 hoursRaven Mine #1, ICG Knott County LLC, Kite, Ky., 72796 hoursTrace Fork, Enterprise Mining Company LLC, Whitesburg, Ky., 71,818 hours
Small Underground Coal GroupMine #1, D&C Mining Corp, Harlan County, Ky., 47,382 hoursBand Mill Mine, Cumberland River Coal Company, Appalachia, Va., 44,705 hoursParson #1, Cumberland River Coal Company, Letcher County, Ky., 44,072 hoursSlone Branch, Ember Contracting Inc, Pippa Passes, Ky., 36,004 hoursTallmans Run Mine No. 1, Roblee Coal Company, Buckhannon, W.Va., 35,444 hours
Large Surface Coal GroupSomerville Central Mine, Black Beauty Coal Company, Gibson County, Ind., 468,078 hoursFalkirk Mine, Falkirk Mining Company, Underwood, N.D., 458,328 hoursFrancisco Mine, Black Beauty Coal Company, Gibson County, Ind., 374,241 hoursRed Hills Mine, Mississippi Lignite Mining Company, Ackerman, Miss., 349,598 hours
Large Coal Processing Facility GroupBevins Branch Preparation Plant, McCoy Elkhorn Coal Corp., Pike County, Ky., 142,657 hoursBrooks Run Processing Plant No. 1, Brooks Run Mining Company LLC, Webster County, W.Va., 122,043 hoursShade Creek Plant, PBC Coals Inc., Somerset County, Pa., 121,538 hoursProsperity Mine, Five Star Mining Inc., Pike County, Ind., 113,271 hours
Small Coal Processing Facility GroupRiola Mine Complex-Vermilion Grove Porta, Black Beauty Coal Company, Vermilion County, Ill., 25,882 hoursJWR #3, Covol Engineered Fuels LC, Adger, Ala., 25,673 hoursEPB Strip, E P Bender Coal Company, Carrolltown, Pa., 25,566 hoursSmith Branch Plant, DTE Smith Branch LLC, Pineville, W.Va., 24,859 hours
Small Underground Metal GroupGold Wedge Project, Manhattan Mining Company, Nye County, Nev., 15,980 hoursDiscovery Day Mine, Merendon Mining (California) Inc., Siskiyou County, Calif., 14,177 hoursBunker Hill Mine, Placer Mining Corporation, Shosone County, Idaho, 12,180 hoursResolution Mine, Resolution Copper Mining LLC, Pinal County, Ariz., 8,037 hours
Large Underground Nonmetal GroupDetroit Salt Mine, The Detroit Salt Co. LLC, Wayne County, Mich., 103,984 hoursCoolspring Mine, Coolspring Stone Supply Inc., Fayette County, Pa. , 80440 hoursWhitney Plant (UG), Hanson Aggregates PMA INC, Westmoreland County, Pa., 64,916 hoursLemont Underground, Vulcan Materials Company, Will County, Ill., 61,363 hours
Small Underground Non-metal GroupMine #1, D & C Mining Corp., Harlan County, Ky., 47,382 hoursBand Mill Mine, Cumberland River Coal Company, Wise County, Va., 44,705 hoursParson #1, Cumberland River Coal Co Inc, Letcher County, Ky., 44,072 hoursSlone Branch, Ember Contracting Inc, Knott County, Ky., 36,004 hours Tallmans Run Mine No. 1, Roblee Coal Company, Barbour County, W.Va., 35,444 hours
Large Open Pit GroupRuby Hill Mine, Homestake Mining Company of CA, Eureka County, Nev., 159,231 hoursPhelps Dodge Miami Inc, Phelps Dodge Miami Inc, Gila County, Ariz., 135,519 hoursVernal Pit & Mill, Simplot Phosphates, LLC, Vernal, Utah, 126,057 hoursDu Pont Florida Mine & Plant, E I DuPont De NeMours & Co Inc, Clay County, Fla., 124,687 hours
Small Open Pit GroupNo Agua Mine & Mill, Harborlite Corporation, Taos County, N.M., 15,229 hoursL R Chapman Inc, L R. Chapman Inc., Hancock County, Ky., 14,785 hoursLewis Mine, NYCO Minerals Inc, Essex County, N.Y., 14,741 hoursKingman Turquoise Mining Co, Kingman Turquoise Mining, Mojave County, Ariz., 14,559 hours
Large Quarry GroupThree Rivers Quarry, Martin Marietta Materials Inc, Livingston County, Ky., 180,492 hoursMiami Quarry, Florida Rock Industries Inc, Dade County, Fla., 125,046 hoursEast Quarry, APAC-Oklahoma Inc., Tulsa County, Okla., 112,517 hoursHelotes Quarry, Vulcan Construction Mats. LP, Bexar County, Texas, 109,413 hours
Small Quarry GroupRinker Materials Malpie Quarry, Rinker Materials Western Inc, Union County, N.M., 14,801 hoursOxford Quarry Plant #8, John S Lane & Son Inc, Worcester County, Mass., 14,779 hoursToccoa Quarry, Hanson Aggregates Southeast, Inc., Toccoa, Ga., 14,658 hoursHermitage Quarry, Vulcan Construction Materials LP, Davidson County, Tenn., 14,640 hoursHarris Quarry, Northern Aggregates Inc, Mendocino County, Calif., 14,636 hours
Large Dredge GroupTwelve Oaks Pit, Huey Stockstill Inc, Picayune, Miss., 92,338 hoursAvant Mine, Georgia Industrial Minerals, Inc, Washington County, Ga., 71,273 hoursPlant 1, Southern Aggregates LLC, St. Helena County, La., 63,583 hoursSorter’s Road Sand and Gravel, Sunrise Materials, Porter, Texas, 61,641 hours
Small Dredge GroupHarrin Mine, Harrin Sand & Gravel, Inc., Buncombe County, N.C., 11,240 hoursSahara Sand of Franklin, Sahara Sand Inc., Gloucester County, N.J., 11,004 hoursLogan #1, Cimarron Sand Company LLC, Logan County, Okla., 10,950 hoursGrace D, Capital Sand Company Inc., Cole County, Mo., 10,923 hours
Large Bank or Pit GroupSchoolhouse Quartz Plant, Unimin Corporation, Avery County, N.C., 218,341 hoursSun Valley Plant, Calmat Co., Los Angeles, Calif., 136,761 hoursBeck Quarry, Valley Caliche Products, Inc., Hidalgo County, Texas, 125,330 hoursShower’s Plant, Fordyce Company, Montgomery County, Texas, 114,567 hours
Small Bank or Pit GroupSlate Hill Sand & Gravel, E. Tetz & sons, Inc, Orange County, N.Y., 10,012 hoursPortable Crusher Unit, Burdick Paving, Duchesne County, Utah, 9,987 hoursSmithfield Peat, Smithfield Peat Co., Inc., Smithfield, RI.I., 9,986 hoursRieth-Riley Materials, Reith-Riley Construction Company, Morgan County, Ind., 9,982 hours
Large Metal Non-metal Mill GroupToddville Plant, BASF Catalysts LLC, Wilkinson County, Ga., 255,371 hoursThe Monarch Cement Company, The Monarch Cement Company, Allen County, Kan., 222,819 hoursHunter Quarry, Colorado Materials LTD, Comal County, Texas, 188,512 hoursBalcones Plant, CEMEX Inc., Montgomery County, Texas, 188,512 hours
Small Metal Non-metal Mill GroupDupo Plant #9, Columbia Quarry Company, St. Clair County, Ill., 26,588 hoursResco Products Inc Cedar Heights, Resco Products Inc, Jackson County, Ohio, 26,502 hoursRabun Quarry, Vulcan Construction Materials LP, Rabun County, Ga., 26,380 hoursBoone Quarries – East, con-Agg of MO LLC, Boone County, Mo., 26,359 hours