Peabody Energy's Farmersburg Mine on July 6 announced that the mine has achieved a major safety milestone by completing three years – or 1.9 million employee hours – without a single reportable safety incident, based on U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) criteria.
"Farmersburg's leadership in safety reflects the same intense personal commitment, strong communications and world-class practices that can be found throughout Peabody's global operations," said Peabody Energy executive vice president and chief operating officer Eric Ford. "Safety is a core value and a daily focus. We are committed to a safety culture that leads to zero incidents of any kind."
Located near Pimento, Ind., the Farmersburg Mine is among the safest large surface operations in the United States. Farmersburg was honored by the U.S. Department of Labor with the prestigious Sentinels of Safety Award - the nation's highest safety honor – for achieving the best safety performance in 2006 among large surface mines. Farmersburg also has been recognized as the safest Peabody surface operation for three of the past four years and has earned major honors for environmental excellence and community outreach from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Farmersburg Mine last year produced 3.6 million tons of coal for Midwest customers and employed a workforce of more than 250.
Peabody Energy achieved the safest year in its 126-year history in 2009, marking a 21 percent improvement in its global safety rate. The company's U.S. accident rate is half of the industry average, and Peabody operated nine of the 20 safest mines in the nation last year.
Peabody continues to earn the industry's highest recognition of safety and sustainability, receiving more than 20 major honors last year. The company also achieved a record 10 percent improvement in safety the first quarter of 2010. It is far safer to work at a Peabody mine than most other industries, including manufacturing, construction, farming and retail.
Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in clean coal solutions. With 2009 sales of 244 million tons and $6 billion in revenues, Peabody fuels 10 percent of U.S. power and 2 percent of worldwide electricity, lighting cities on six continents.
