In a ceremony in Las Vegas, 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 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 for their extraordinary safety performance in 2023.
“No matter the size of the company, or the material mined, these awards show that safety is of the utmost importance across this diverse and vibrant industry,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO. “As the demand for mined materials continues to grow, so does our industry’s unshakeable focus on safety, and the innovative ways that modern mining utilizes advanced technologies to reduce risks across the mine environment.”
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.
Recipients for 2023 include the following:
Large Group Category
- Large Quarry, Pennsuco Quarry, Titan Florida LLC., Medley, Fla.
- Large Bank or Pit, Lamesa Plant, US Silica Co., La Mesa, Texas.
- Large Dredge, Briggs Plant, Vulcan Construction Materials LLC, Victoria, Texas.
- Large Underground Nonmetal, Ames Mine, Martin Marietta Materials Inc., Ames, Iowa.
- Large Coal Processing, Shoal Creek Mine, Peabody,* Oakman, Ala.
- Large Metal/Nonmetal Mill, Red Dog Operations, Teck Alaska Inc.,* Kotzebue, Alaska.
- Large Underground Metal, Leeville, Nevada Gold Mines operated by Barrick* Carlin, Nev.
- Large Open Pit, Bald Mountain Mine, KG Mining (Bald Mountain) Inc.,* Ely, Nev.
- Large Surface Coal, El Segundo, Peabody Energy Co.,* Grants, N.M.
- Large Underground Coal, Skyline Mine #3, Canyon Fuel Company LLC, Helper, Utah.
Small Group Category
- Small Quarry, Cleveland Quarry, Vulcan Construction Materials LLC, Cleveland, Tenn.
- Small Dredge, Kimaterials Incorporated, Kimaterials Inc., Old Monroe, Mo.
- Small Metal/Nonmetal Mill, Aggrock Quarry, Heidelberg Materials Midwest Agg Inc., Charlestown, Ind.
- Small Open Pit, Stripping Crew, River Products Co. Inc., Iowa City, Iowa.
- Small Bank or Pit, Mission Materials, Mission Materials, Wantage, N.J.
- Small Underground Metal, Twin Underground, Nevada Gold Mines operated by Barrick* Golconda, Nev.
- Small Coal Processing, #1 Plant, N F C Mining Inc., Prestonsburg, Ky.
- Small Surface Coal, Boone North No. 1 Surface Mine, Raven Crest Contracting LLC, Ashford, W.Va.
- Small Underground Coal, Trace Fork #2, Coking Coal LLC, Eolia, Ky.
- Small Underground Nonmetal, Wingdale Mine, Wingdale Materials LLC, Wingdale, N.Y.