The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the U.S. National Mining Association (NMA) recently recognized Kinross for the Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovations Award.
The award recognizes companies who have made significant advancements in mining technology to make mining safer and more productive.
Ryan Horn, Health and Safety Supervisor, Fort Knox, and a former Hygiene Specialist at Bald Mountain, identified a potential hazard for technicians during the fire assay procedure at Bald. Ryan recognized that if the slag becomes fractured it could potentially release airborne contaminants or injure technicians.
Working with the fire assay technicians and Process Maintenance millwrights, he found a solution by redesigning the strike hammers to mitigate this potential safety hazard. The solution added a tool and a handle to the hammer that reduces the chances of the slag becoming fractured and injuring technicians.
The recognition of the award from Congressman Bradley Byrne of Alabama, who was speaking on behalf of the entire U.S. House of Representatives, appeared in the U.S. Congressional Record. “Our miners are a precious resource serving as the front-end of the supply chain for energy, minerals and materials. We are thankful for what they provide our country and proud of them for being both productive and safer than ever before,” said Rep. Byrne.
Representatives from Bald Mountain attended the 2016 Sentinels of Safety and NIOSH ceremony in Washington D.C. last week to accept the award.
The Bald Mountain team at the 2016 Sentinels of Safety & NIOSH award ceremony. From left to right: Dr. R.J. Matetic, Director of Pittsburgh Mining Research Divison of the NIOSH Mining Program, Randy Burggraff, General Manager, Bald Mountain, Patti Tschirgi, Lab Technician, Bald Mountain, Ryan Horn, Health and Safety Supervisor, Fort Knox
A photo of an assay pour at Bald Mountain
A prototype of the redesigned strike-hammer
