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The Joseph
A. Holmes Safety Association has honored six Massey Energy mines
for their exemplary safety performance the past year.
The
association, a non-profit organization founded in 1918, annually
recognizes outstanding safety performances in the mining
industry. The association’s members include representatives from
state and federal government agencies, mining organizations and
labor unions.
The safety
awards are based on injury rates and other safety measurements.
The association also recognizes steady year-after-year
improvements in injury rates.
The six
Massey mines honored for outstanding safety records in 2007 are:
· Black
King 1-N Portal in Boone County, WV
· Justice
No. 1 Mine in Boone County, WV
· Horse
Creek Eagle in Raleigh County, WV
· Bandmill
Coal Tower Mountain Surface Mine in Logan County, WV
· West Cazy
Surface Mine in Boone County, WV
· Republic
Energy Surface Mine in Raleigh County, WV
“We’re
proud that six Massey mines have earned this recognition. Safety
is our top priority at Massey Energy, and these awards are a
tribute to the Massey members who have made safety an integral
part of their workday,” said Don Blankenship, Massey’s chairman
and chief executive officer.
The awards
were formally presented at the safety association’s annual
meeting in Wheeling, West Virginia on May 9-10. The West Cazy
and Justice No. 1 mines are repeat winners from last year.
Massey
Energy Company (NYSE:MEE), headquartered in Richmond, Virginia,
with operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia, is the
fourth largest coal company in the United States based on
produced coal revenue.
TWO FOUNDATION COAL MINES WIN SAFETY HONORS
Foundation Coal’s low-seam Kingston No. 1 and No. 2 mines have
received the Joseph A. Holmes award for West Virginia for 2007.
The recognition highlights mines that exemplify safe production
through outstanding safety records, and will also be given to
affiliate Rockspring Development for its Camp Creek mine.
“The awards are the result of an intense focus on safety at all
of our operations,” company senior vice president of operations
Jim Bryja said.
The Kingston room-and-pillar mines are in Fayette County, WV,
and are thin seam operations. No. 1 extracts a seam of 28-30
inches under an average cut height of 52-56 inches, and No. 2’s
cutting height is 54-60 inches.
L-3’s Miner Location Tracking System Selected by NIOSH
L-3 Global
Security & Engineering Solutions division (L-3 GS&ES) announced
that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
selected L-3’s Miner Location Tracking System as the sole
program to advance to the system design and testing stages of
the NIOSH research program.
The L-3
Miner Location Tracking system will provide highly-accurate,
real-time tracking location capabilities for miners working
underground, in both pre- and post-accident situations.
“We are
excited by this opportunity to develop an additional advanced
safety system for the underground mining industry.” said Jerry
Bates, president of L-3 Global Security & Engineering
Solutions. “The L-3 Miner Location Tracking system is an
excellent complement to our L-3 Wireless Mesh Mine
Communications system. This new capability enhances our growing
portfolio of mine safety products and demonstrates L-3’s deep
commitment to ensuring our nation’s miners return home safely at
the end of every shift.”
L-3 was one
of two companies awarded initial feasibility contracts by NIOSH
in July 2007 to develop an advanced location tracking system in
response to the 2006 MINER Act. L-3 GS&ES is developing the
system in partnership with Multispectral Solutions, Inc. (MSSI),
an industry leader in personnel tracking and locating systems
for hazardous or challenging environments.
L-3 GS&ES
is deploying its Miner Location Tracking system in an
operational mine in the fall of 2008, and the system is expected
to be available to the mining industry by the spring of 2009.
For
additional information about L-3 GS&ES’s mine safety projects
visit:
www.L-3Com.com/mine_safety
L-3 Global
Security & Engineering Solutions is a division of L-3 Services,
Inc (LSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of L-3 Communications
Corporation. Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, near
Washington, DC, L-3 Global Security & Engineering Solutions has
nearly 3,000 employees throughout the United States and
worldwide providing a broad range of technical, analytical,
operational, and security services and products to government
and commercial customers. Core capabilities include integrated
security solutions and services, engineering and technical
services, program management and financial analysis and an array
of Homeland Security/Homeland Defense-related products and
services.
Disclaimer:
The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the
views or policies of the Department of Health and Human
Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products
or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Strata Safety Products Emergency Refuge Chambers Go Underground
into Coal Mines
In response to recently enacted State and Federal mine safety
requirements, Strata Safety Products, LLC is now installing new
Emergency Refuge Chambers in coal mines across America. The
Steel Walk-In Refuge Chambers and Portable Inflatable Refuge
Chambers developed by Strata Safety Products all meet regulated
survivability requirements, providing at least 96 hours of
breathable air to miners trapped underground.
In late 2007, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) performed survivability evaluations on all refuge
chambers originally approved by the State of West Virginia. The
chambers were to meet four main criteria: Carbon dioxide
scrubbing, Oxygen Supply, Apparent Temperature and Duration of
Operation.
“Our chambers successfully passed all evaluations and met all
test criteria and requirements,” says Strata Safety Products
President, Rory Paton-Ash. He also says that Strata Safety
expects every order currently on the schedule to be delivered by
the end of 2008. “We are continuing to receive new requests for
quotations and orders. Our target market is now expanding
outside of coal mining into other mining and construction
industries worldwide. We are very pleased with the ongoing
success and progress of our products.”
Strata Safety Products is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and
has operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United
Kingdom and Australia. Strata Safety Products’ success is based
on their proximity to the markets they serve, coupled with the
fact that they invest heavily in research and development, and
work closely with both local regulatory bodies and select
customers in the product development process.
For more information, please contact Paula Gunnels or Rory
Paton-Ash at 800/691-6601 or visit our website at
www.strata-safety.com
Strata Mine Services gets MSHA Approval on Revolutionary 120 psi
Plug Seal
In a move that will help to further improve underground mining
practices, Strata Mine Services announced that they have been
granted MSHA approval on a new cementitious-based material
ventilation seal that can withstand 120 psi of overpressure,
complying with the 2006 Mine Safety Emergency Temporary Standard
(ETS).
The Plug Seal uses a specialized pumpable concrete formulated by
Strata Mine Services, combined with various types of form
materials, depending on the seal location. The seal can be
placed either from remote locations underground or from the
surface.
This Plug Seal is intended for mine openings ranging from 3 ft
to 16 ft in height, and 16 ft to 24 ft in width and is ideal for
areas with weaker, softer coal ribs. The thickness of the seal
depends on the height and width of the mine entry at the seal
location.
“The process of gaining MSHA approval was a long one, but we are
very pleased that we have been successful,” said Strata Products
Senior Development Engineer, Mike Fabio. “We already have a
strong interest in the Seals and plan to start installing them
as soon as possible.”
Strata Mine Services, based in St. Clairesville Ohio, provides
turnkey underground construction services nationwide for the US
Coal Mining Industry. The company specializes in the
installation of seals, concrete placement, and cavity or void
filling using phenol foams or concrete products.
Other products and services offered by Strata Mine Services
include: PUR injection and gluing, Cavity filling using Phenolic
Foam or foam cement, cement and cement slurry placement, provide
general labor, concrete placement for form work and foundations
For detailed information on the use and application of the Plug
Seal, please contact Mike Fabio at 724/256-0284, e-mail:
mfabio@strataproducts.com or Jeff Hamrick, Vice President
and General Manager, 740/695-6880, e-mail:
jhamrick@stratamineservices.com
BlueBaby ® -- Integrated barrier systems
Easily adapts your MSHA-classified “RED” (fresh air) outstations
to “BLUE” (hazardous) status by providing the essential MSHA-classified
barriers. Monitor gob areas and return airways for CH4,
CO, O2, smoke, pressure and air-velocity. Twelve BB
Models available for handling 3, 7, 11 or 15 classified IS
sensors in return air. PCB ratings for 600V or 3,000V. No need
to alter existing “RED” outstation wiring. Signal paths are
low-leakage, passing 4-20ma or voltage signals to your existing
read-outs: copper continuous. Dual-channel IS barriers are
short-circuit protected. Signal amplifiers are available for
PLC interfacing. OSHA barrier systems also available. Call
for specs and pricing 800-783-9228 or email --
sales@rel-tek.com
NIOSH TESTING ARTECO INTELLIGENT VIDEO SOLUTION
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
is currently testing the Arteco Intelligent Video Solution (IVS)
system in a variety of circumstances to determine if it has
potential to improve machine safety. IVS identifies
abnormalities within a digital image, such as movement within a
controlled space. This allows the system to count and recognize
objects, people and situations and will pre-empt potential
dangerous situaltins.
The goal is that if a certain camera has an event, like someone
getting too close to the conveyor belt, removing a guard off a
pulley, or working with high voltage and not following proper
procedures, the system will generate an alarm to notify the
control room or other personnel. If the video system is
reliable enough, it may be used to shut down the machinery (or
prevent startup) in certain hazardous situations.
According to Steve Birkmeier, vice president of marketing for
Arteco, “Our testing involved regular size detection zones,
camera angles from the front of the conveyor belt, angles for
the side of the conveyor belt, ground level camera angles and
high up angles on a scissor lift. We tested in pitch black
areas to see how the system worked with Infrared compared to
thermal, as well as a variety of action scenarios. The beauty
of the IVS is that it is so adaptable and can be customized and
integrated into virtually any application.” For more
information contact Armanda Hassler at 314/505-5253.
(l to r) Emery workers Ron Wright - Mechanic and Justus
Jorgensen - Continuous Miner Operator with the Liv Ireland Award
CONSOL’S EMERY MINE WINS AWARD
Consol Energy has presented the Emery mine in Price, Utah, with
the Liv Ireland safety award. Emery was the company’s safest
last year with a 2.02 incident rate. The mine had only three
recordable accidents in 2007 and one lost-time accident. In
October 2007, Emery had enjoyed 14 continuous months with zero
accidents. “Emery has proven that ‘absolute zero’ is more than
just an expression at Consol Energy. It is a reality at Emery
Mine,” says Consol coal group president Peter Lilly.
CRITICAL MINES CONFERENCE SET FOR DAYTONA
The 12th Annual Critical Issues Conference, sponsored
by the International Society of Mine Safety Professionals, is
scheduled for May 12-15 at Daytona Beach, FL. The four-day
conference includes presentations from industry and government.
Breakout sessions and a vendor exhibit hall will also be part of
the itinerary, as well as an awards ceremony.
Among the speakers are Arizona State Mine Inspectors office
representative Tim Evans, Edwards Lopez from the US Mine Safety
and Health Administration, Jackson Kelly law firm staffer Tim
Olson and Ron Witt of American Infrastructure. Cleveland-Cliffs
vice president Duke Vector and Patton Boggs partner Mark Savit
are also scheduled for technical sessions.
Illinois
records fifth-straight year without mining death
Illinois has gone five years in a row without a coal-mining
death, and that’s led Governor Rod Blagojevich to proclaim this
Mine Safety Day in Illinois.
Blagojevich says the milestone is a testament to increased
safety measures over the past several years and the vigilance of
miners.
After the Sago Mine disaster in 2006, Illinois required mine
operators to build rescue chambers within the mines to protect
employees against potential hazards during an emergency.
The chambers must have first aid supplies, oxygen tanks and
other materials miners would need while they were waiting to be
rescued.
Mine operators also have to have lifelines and illuminated signs
to help miners escape during an emergency. |
