Utah's first mine-safety conference affirms goals

The director of the Utah Office of Coal Mine Safety said the state needs to do whatever it can to work toward the goal of zero injuries in coal mining as soon as possible.

Speaking Wednesday at the inaugural Utah Coal Mine Safety conference in Price, Garth Nielsen said that the more his agency can get miners and coal mine operators to accept and implement improved safety methods, the safer the industry will be.

Nielsen said that since he took the job as director in July, he has visited every mine in the state numerous times. He said that the presence of a state official at a mine on a regular basis or during an accident investigation gives workers confidence that someone is looking out for their best interests.

"If we have an incident that's been called in and I go to investigate with MSHA, then they also know that there's another agency that they can come to," he said.

Pete Hackford, director of the state Division of Boiler and Elevator Safety that oversees the Office of Coal Mine Safety, said that the state is committed to improving the safety performance of every mine operator in Utah.

"Our first step is to maximize coal-mine safety in Utah," he said. The first annual conference drew about 40 people, mostly managers from Utah coal-mine operators.

Hackford said because of the creation of the new safety office, the state of Utah has taken a more active role in ensuring the well-being of miners and assisting the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration in its efforts to investigate each and every reported incident at any of the state's eight working coal mines.

"With another set of eyes looking at MSHA, we know that those things are being taken care of," he said. "It's a new role that we're in, but we're making a difference."

The Office of Coal Mine Safety was created at the recommendation of the Utah Mine Safety Commission that was appointed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. following the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster.

In August 2007, six coal miners were trapped following a collapse at the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington in Emery County. Days later, three rescuers died trying to reach them. The mine was permanently shuttered, and the miners' bodies were never recovered.

Stan Christensen, superintendent of the Skyline Mine near Helper that is operated by St. Louis-based Arch Coal, said Wednesday that the goal of every coal company should be eliminate all injuries, not just fatalities.