On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Coal Alliance (PCA) announced the winners of its annual awards recognizing employee safety and mine reclamation efforts.
The Harrisburg-based agency said the Keystone Mine Safety Awards were given to companies that demonstrated superior employee safety practices. Using data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, PCA said awards were given to member organizations with outstanding safety records based on man-hours per year and the non-fatal day lost (NFDL) rates for the prior calendar year.
“Employee safety and environmental stewardship continue to be key priorities for all of our member companies,” PCA Executive Director Rachel Gleason said. “We congratulate the efforts our award winners and their continued dedication.”
Winners this year include:
- In the Longwall division – Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company LLC, Harvey Mine with 630,857 man-hours and NFDL of 0.63.
- In the Large Surface Mine division, Heritage Coal & Natural Resources, Mast Mine with 157,455 man-hours and NFDL of 0.00.
- In the Large Continuous Mine division – Wilson Creek Energy LLC, Acosta Deep Mine with 193,401 man-hours and NFDL of 1.03.
- In the Small Continuous Mine division, Rosebud Mining Company, Heilwood Mine with 56,417 man-hours and NFDL of 0.00.
- And in the Small Surface Mine, division, Fisher Mining Company, Fisher Mining Operation with 51,238 man-hours and NFDL of 0.00
The PCA Reclamation Awards are given to companies that have completed mine reclamation efforts that exceeded federal and state regulations to turn former mines into usable and environmentally sound land. Winners are chosen in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Active and Abandoned Mine Operations and are based on pre-mining conditions, reclamation quality, degree of difficulty, and correction of environmental and safety hazards.
Winners in the reclamation category include:
- Best Overall – Iron Senergy, Emerald Deep Mine
- Category: Large Project (75 acres +) – RoxCoal, Inc, Kimberly Run Mine
- Category: Medium Project (25 – 75 acres) – PBS Coals, Lohr Mine