WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Mining Association (NMA) today recognized CONSOL Energy Inc. for becoming certified under its CORESafety® initiative. CONSOL is the 10th mining company to be fully certified utilizing the framework, which aims for zero fatalities and a 50 percent reduction in rate of injuries within five years.
“Certification is the culmination of a multi-step, multi-year process that requires dedication at every level of an organization – from the miner through management – and I commend CONSOL for prioritizing the safety of its people through this significant commitment,” said Rich Nolan, NMA President and CEO. “Safety is an area where complacency has no place and the CORESafety framework is an important tool to drive constant vigilance and awareness.”
“It is a tremendous honor and a true testament to the work and dedication of our miners, to receive this certification from the CORESafety initiative,” said Jimmy Brock, President and CEO of CONSOL Energy. “Safety is more than a core value at CONSOL Energy, it is a condition of employment and a way of life. Reaching this milestone demonstrates our employees’ commitment to safety and our focus on continually integrating best-practices while embracing technology and innovation, as we strive towards an incident-free workplace.”
CORESafety’s approach to safety and health emphasizes accident prevention and uses a risk-based management system anchored in leadership, management and assurance. The framework is designed to go beyond what is required by regulations, focusing on a goal of continuous improvement. Its objective is zero fatalities and a 50 percent reduction in mining’s injury rate within five years of implementation. In 2017, companies participating in the CORESafety system closed the year with zero fatalities across U.S. operations.
CORESafety is a risk-based mine safety and health management system developed by NMA. CORESafety participants agree to: commit to the CORESafety system; implement a functionally-equivalent version of the CORESafety safety and health management system; submit to NMA annual self-assessments of progress toward implementation of the CORESafety safety and health management system; and, if the company elects to become or maintain CORESafety certification, complete a thorough third-party assessment of its safety and health management system to verify that it is functionally equivalent to CORESafety and submit the assessment report to NMA.
CONSOL Energy Inc. is a publicly owned Canonsburg-based producer and exporter of coal. Its origins date to 1860, and today CONSOL helps generate nearly one-third of the fuel for America’s power supply. For over 10 years, CONSOL has operated under an Absolute ZERO value system based on the premise that having zero accidents is normal and that any accident is uncharacteristic and inconsistent with company values.
M&S Insurance and Safety Consultants Inc. conducted the independent audit in September 2019.
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