In a ceremony in Washington, D.C., the National Mining Association (NMA), the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) honored outstanding achievements in mine safety, technology and reclamation.
The NMA’s Sentinels of Safety Award recognizes coal and mineral mining operations in 10 categories for recording the most hours in a calendar year without a single lost-time injury. A minimum of 4,000 hours is required for award consideration. The award categories reflect the safety accomplishments of both small and large mines.
Twenty American mining operations – six coal mines and 14 mineral/metal mines – were honored with the award recognizing performance in 2022.
“Everything that happens in and around a mine happens with a rigorous safety mindset,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO. “From the miners on the ground to their managers and beyond, safety is an area that requires constant vigilance. Today’s honorees represent our industry’s best; they’ve raised the bar for others, and I look forward to seeing the example they’ve set replicated across industry.”
Initiated in 1923 by then Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, a former mining engineer, the Sentinels of Safety Award program remains the nation’s most prestigious recognition of mine safety and has helped foster a strong safety commitment on the part of U.S. mines.
Minerals recipients for 2022 include the following:
Large Group Category
Large Bank or Pit, Monahans, Capital Sand Permian, LLC Monahans, Texas.
Large Dredge, Briggs Plant, Vulcan Materials, LLC Victoria, Texas
Large Metal/Nonmetal Mill, Midlothian Cement Plant, Martin Marietta North Texas Cement, LLC Midlothian, Texas
Large Quarry, Pennsuco Quarry, Titan America Medley, Fla.
Small Group Category
Small Bank or Pit, Crater Sand & Gravel Inc, Crater Sand & Gravel Inc. Central Point, Ore.
Small Dredge, Raccoon River Sand, Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. Des Moines, Iowa
Small Metal/Nonmetal Mill, Independent Salt Co., Kanopolis, Kan.
Small Open Pit, Streetman Plant, Arcosa LWS, LLC Norman, Okla.
Small Quarry, Portable Crusher, ROBCO Inc. Grants Pass, Ore.
Small Underground Nonmetal, Franklin Quarry, Vulcan Materials, LLC Brentwood, Tenn.