Improving Mine Safety and Health

The safety and health of our workers and colleagues is a core value of the mining industry.

CORESafety®: Committed to Excellence in Mining Safety is an initiative developed and led by the members of the National Mining Association to achieve an aggressive safety goal of eliminating fatalities and reducing mining’s injury rate by 50 percent over the next five years through implementation of safety and health management systems.

Today’s mining companies recognize that continuous performance improvement necessary to achieve the goals of zero fatalities and injuries means going beyond what’s required by regulations.

To accelerate the pace of mine safety improvement, we have taken voluntary steps to implement best practices that encourage a “culture of safety.” Risk assessment processes identify safety controls to eliminate or minimize the impacts of hazards. By identifying and eliminating potential hazards, and deploying state-of-the-art technology, American mining has developed an award-winning safety framework that is bringing more miners home safely after every shift. The CORESafety® system has been endorsed by the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration and received the 2015 five-star distinction award from the International Safety, Quality and Environment Management Association.

Over the past 15 years, our commitment to safety has led to a 56 percent cut in the rate of injuries in U.S. mines and a 63 percent reduction in the fatal injury rate. More can and will be done.

Member Feature Story

120,000 Hours and Counting

Every hour counts for safety, and Lithium Americas’ Thacker Pass construction project is starting off right. In 2023, the Thacker Pass Project surpassed 120,000 work-hours with no lost time incidents, or without an incident resulting in a disability or an employee missing work due to the injury. This... Read More

Improving Mine Safety and Health

New Scoops for Safer Mines

Safety is paramount in the mining industry, and this is why we recognize achievements in safety milestones and innovation each year. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) awards annual Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovations Awards which recognize mines and companies... Read More

A Culture of Safety

Safety isn’t something to consider occasionally; a true culture of safety involves constant awareness and thought, is embedded in all aspects of an organization, and emphasizes continuous improvement. That’s why mining companies like Kinross feature safety events like ‘Youth Safety Day’. Kinross Fort... Read More

Competition of Safety and Skill

Mine rescue competitions are held across the U.S. and Canada in both national and local formats, including some sponsored by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). These contests allow teams to practice and demonstrate skills we all hope will never have to be put into use, but also highlight... Read More

CORESafety Certification at Wyodak Resources

In March 2022, Wyodak Resources Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Black Hills Corp., was recognized for achieving CORESafety certification at its Wyodak Mine in Wyoming. This is an enormous occasion for celebration as it exemplifies the mining industry’s focus on miner safety. Rich Nolan, president... Read More

Collision Awareness System Advancement

In December 2021, Wabtec Corporation announced the successful testing of its Collision Awareness System (CAS) Vehicle Intervention Solution. When integrated with the Komatsu Machine Integration Controller (MIC), the solution passed all key performance criteria and demonstrated the ability to decelerate... Read More