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Twentymile Coal Mine recognized for 2017 safety record

Twentymile Coal Mine off Routt County Road 27.
John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Routt County’s Twentymile Coal Mine has once again received top honors from its parent company for keeping miners safe while working underground.

Peabody Energy recognized Twentymile with its annual President’s Award for having the company’s best safety record in 2017 out of all its underground mines.

It is the sixth time Twentymile has received the President’s Award since 2005, marking a record among Twentymile’s underground mines.

The mine previously won the award in 2005, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

A mine’s safety record is partly determined by the number of safety-related incidents.

Twentymile had an incident rate of 1.87 per 200,000 hours worked. The mine worked more than 875,000 hours in 2017, and the incident rate is about a third of the average of underground coal mines in the United States.

Peabody recognized Twentymile for its safety culture, which the company believes is comprised of strong communication, looking out for one another and innovative ideas.

“Safety is more than a priority at Twentymile, it is a value,” Twentymile general manager Pat Sollars said in a news release. “Our workforce is continuously evaluating and implementing innovative solutions to improve safety systems. For Twentymile employees, safety is not a statistic. It is a way of life and our commitment allows employees to go home safely to their families after each shift.”

Peabody Americas President Kemal Williamson recognized Twentymile for being a leader in the company’s safety efforts.

“It is safer to work at Twentymile than in most major industries, and I am proud of the team’s commitment to safety each and every day,” Williamson said in the news release.

The President’s Award comes as Twentymile comes off a year of increased coal production.

Twentymile produced 3.84 million tons of coal in 2017. That was an increase of 48 percent over 2016, when production bottomed out at 2.6 million tons.

In records going back to 2001, production at Twentymile peaked in 2005 with 9.37 million tons.

Twentymile currently employs about 270 people.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland.


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