WINNEMUCCA - Employee morale was high as Turquoise Ridge employees gathered with their families recently to celebrate the mine site's safety achievements.
"At Turquoise Ridge the culture has become such that safety is the ultimate priority. Everyone looks out for each other and that makes it a great place to work," said Nigel Bain, general manager.
In April, the site received the Annual Barrick Award of Excellence for Most Improved Safety Performance 2011. This is the second consecutive year that Turquoise Ridge has won the award. The site has also received recognition from the Nevada Mining Association for outstanding safety performance and recently recorded another milestone in February of 2012, when employees worked a full year without an employee lost time incident.
Turquoise Ridge has transformed its safety performance over the past few years and they now have a safety record that other mines can look up to. In 2011, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported a national incident rate for underground metal mines of 2.47. Meaning that for every 200,000 hours worked there are 2.47 employees injured in an incident where they missed work. Turquoise Ridge performed well below the national average reporting a rate of .30 for 2011.
Employees and their families celebrated their exceptional safety record and achievements with two open-house events at the fairgrounds in Winnemucca on April 28 and May 12. The celebration included entertainment and activities provided by a clown and the Nevada Outdoor School. Also on display were many trophies and apparatus from the Turquoise Ridge mine rescue team. Families also had the chance to see mining equipment, including a jack leg drill and photos of the underground mine.
The celebration was also a way to spread the importance of safety to employee families and the community.
"Our employees have worked hard to become safety leaders and this was a great chance to recognize them for their dedication and all they have done to make Turquoise Ridge one of the safest and best places to work," said Bain.
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