Newmont Mining Corp. has made safety its top priority and has found an effective way to drive the message of safety home to its employees through an annual refresher training course that take employees out of the classroom and to interactive classes.

This year, the Elko Daily News was on hand to report one of the training courses in Elko, NV that has employees meeting U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration requirements in a lively and interactive way.

Paul Jensen, regional director of health and safety for Newmont, spoke with the paper and said the company’s top priority is zero fatalities, but everyone strives for zero harm.

“I go back to 1987, my first annual refresher training, it was one safety guy in a room with a bunch of people with an overhead projector,” Jensen said. “… When you look at something like this interactive, high level of engagement, if you’re somebody that likes to sit back and not get involved, this is probably not the place for you to be.”

Jensen said the interactive approach to safety helps employees to retain the information, but it also helps “the day fly by.” He said everyone in the state, about 3,500 people, goes through the training.

The course is 10 hours. MSHA has required topics, but it is up to the teacher to determine how the course is taught.

“It is a several month-long process to put this training together,” Jensen said.

The employees begin planning the lessons as early as August, he said.

Check out the full report, and some photos from the Elko Daily News here.