Officials of the National Mining Association (NMA), the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the U.S Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), joined together to honor top safety, environmental and technology leaders in the mining industry.

NMA’s Sentinels of Safety Award recognizes coal and mineral mining operations in 20 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 with the award recognizing performance in 2016.

“2016 was the safest year in mining’s history,” said Hal Quinn, NMA president and CEO. “These awards are an important reminder that modern mining has made great strides to ensure the safety of all of our miners and, to continue this progress, our vigilance is required through each and every shift.”

Initiated in 1925 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 include:

Large Group

• Coal Processing Facility: Ceredo Dock – Kanawha River Terminals, LLC
• Dredge: Briggs Plant – Fordyce Holdings, Inc.
• Metal Nonmetal Mill: Barrick Cortez – Barrick Gold Corporation
• Openpit: South Arturo Mine – Barrick Gold Corporation
• Surface Coal: Freedom Mine – North American Coal Corporation
• Underground Coal: Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 – Signal Peak Energy, LLC
• Underground Metal: Barrick Cortez Underground – Barrick Gold Corporation
• Underground Nonmetal: Cargill Salt Group, Cleveland – Cargill, Inc.
• Bank or Pit: Murphy Plant – Fordyce Holdings, Inc.
• Quarry: St. Genevieve Facility – Tower Rock Stone Co.

Small Group

• Bank or Pit: Loveland Ready-Mix Concrete – Loveland Ready-Mix Concrete
• Coal Processing Facility: Midway Coal Handling Facility – Armstrong Coal Co, Inc.
• Dredge: Portage Aggregate & Supply LLC
• Metal Nonmetal Mill: Curtin Gap Quarry – Hanson Aggregates Pennsylvania LLC
• Openpit: Siderite Mine – Sidco Minerals Inc.
• Quarry: Walker Stone – Walker Stone
• Surface Coal: Three Mile Mine #1 – CAM Mining LLC
• Underground Coal: Coon Cedar Grove Mine – Marfork Coal Co., LLC
• Underground Metal: Buick Mine/Mill – The Doe Run Co.
• Underground Nonmetal: Decker’s Creek Limestone Co – Decker’s Creek Limestone Co.