MINING OPERATIONS RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING SAFETY RECORDS

Eight mining operations are being honored for their outstanding 1997 safety records in the annual Sentinels of Safety awards program co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Mining Association (NMA).

Mining companies in various operational categories were recognized for achieving the greatest number of employee work-hours in 1997 without an injury that resulted in lost workdays. To qualify for the program, a mining operation must compile at least 30,000 employee work-hours during the year without a lost-time injury or fatality.

"Safety and production go hand in hand," said J. Davitt McAteer, assistant labor secretary for mine safety and health. "While all companies strive to meet production goals, it's the safe mine that, in the long run, will excel in production by not cutting corners. And when you have a strong team of workers, that's the biggest payoff."

The sentinels award is the oldest established award for occupational safety. The first Sentinels of Safety award was announced by former President Herbert Hoover, a mining engineer, when he was secretary of commerce in 1925. The annual safety competition has continued uninterrupted to the present day.

First place winners and their number of consecutive employee-hours free of fatalities or lost-time injuries recorded in each of the mining categories are:

Roaring Fork No. 2 Mine, Clinchfield Coal Company, Dante, VA , 154,337 hours.

Colowyo Mine, Colowyo Coal Company, L.P., Meeker, CO, 666,850 hours.

Greens Creek Mine, Kennecott Greens Creek Mining, Juneau, AK, 434,236 hours.

Big Island Mine & Refinery, OCI Wyoming, L.P., Green River, WY, 326,090 hours.

Cyprus Sierrita Corporation, Cyprus Amax Minerals Company, Green Valley, AZ, 556,736 hours.

Pennsuco Quarry, Tarmac America, Inc., Medley, FL, 232,232 hours.

Lilesville Mine, W.R. Bonsal Company, Lilesville, NC, 164,262 hours.
(Second consecutive year)

Briggs Plant, The Fordyce Company, Victoria, TX, 207,838 hours.

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Other mining operations with exceptional safety records during 1997 include the following:

Brushy Eagle Mine, Marfork Coal Company, Inc., Pettus, WV, 144,836 hours.

Black Knight II, Elk Run Coal Company, Inc., Sylvester, WV, 134,035 hours.

Laurel Alma Mine, Elk Run Coal Company, Inc., Sylvester, WV, 111,899 hours.

Bishop Branch Mine No. 1, McCoy Elkhorn Coal Corp., Pikeville, KY, 103,400 hours.

Cordero Mine, Cordero Mining Company, Gillette, WY, 560,041 hours.

Kemmerer Mine, Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining, Kemmerer, WY, 528,916 hours.

North Antelope Mine, Powder River Coal Company, Gillette, WY, 482,222 hours.

Winfield North Strip, Texas Utilities Mining Company, Mt. Pleasant, TX, 476,600 hours.

Fletcher Mine & Mill, The Doe Run Company, Viburnum, MO, 175,846 hours.

West Fork Mine, ASARCO, Inc., Bunker, MO, 142,981 hours.

Lamefoot Mine Site, Echo Bay Minerals, Inc., Republic, WA, 142,258 hours.

Viburnum No. 29 Mine, The Doe Run Company, Viburnum, MO, 72,520 hours.

Locust Cove Mine, United States Gypsum Company, Saltville, VA, 149,936 hours.

Randolph Mine, Hunt Midwest Mining, Inc., Kansas City, MO, 93,309 hours.

Greer Limestone Mine & Mill, Greer Industries, Inc., Morgantown, WV, 88,497 hours.

Central (underground) Quarry, Vulcan Materials Co., Knoxville, TN, 77,034 hours.

Denton-Rawhide Mine, Kennecott Rawhide Mining Co., Fallon, NV, 272,334 hours.

Fort Knox Mine, Fairbanks Gold Mining, Inc., Fairbanks, AK, 258,989 hours.

Ridgeway Mine, Kennecott Ridgeway Mining Co., Ridgeway, SC, 222,118 hours.

Cyprus Tohono Mine, Cyprus Tohono Corporation, Casa Grande, AZ, 205,102 hours.

Three Rivers Plant and Quarry, Martin Marietta Aggregates, Smithland, KY, 162,286 hours.

Longview Lime Quarry, Dravo Lime Company, Saginaw, AL, 115,762 hours.

Miami Quarry, Florida Rock Industries, Inc., Miami, FL, 106,242 hours.

Morgan Pit, A.J. Brauer Stone Co., Jarrell, TX, 97,620 hours.

Curles Neck and Plant 18, Tarmac America, Inc., Richmond, VA, 112,530 hours.

Pit No. 10, Harper Sand & Gravel, Inc., Kearns, UT, 110,339 hours.

Bradshaw Pit and Mill, Granite Construction Company, Sacramento, CA, 99,967 hours.

Puddledock Sand & Gravel, Tarmac America, Inc., Petersburg, VA, 99,264 hours.

Rockport Plant, Mulzer Crushed Stone, Inc., Tell City, IN, 115,484 hours

Porter Plant & Pit, Hallett Materials, Porter, TX, 90,681 hours.

Evansville Mill, Mulzer Crushed Stone, Inc., Tell City, IN, 85,381 hours.

Seitz Pit, Gifford-Hill Concrete Company, Thackerville, OK, 63,103 hours