Six mines took first place honors, including Dominion Coal’s Mine No. 44 for large underground mines; it worked 176,189 employee hours.

SANW’s Mine No. 3 was top medium underground mine with 36,863 employee hours and Dacoal Mining’s Mine No. 5, which recorded 23,374 employee hours, was tops among small underground operations.

Extra Energy’s Virginia Point No. 1, with 317,889 employee hours, was first place for large surface mines, Appalachian Contractors’ No. 5 lead medium surface operations with 45,704 employee hours and Dominion Coal’s Dominion Central Shop was best small surface mine with 23,374 employee hours.

The DMME also recognized Paramont Coal’s Red Onion Strip facility for working five consecutive years with no lost-time accidents. It recorded 782,958 employee hours over that time.

SANW’s Mine No. 1 (112,725) and Four O Mining’s No. 10 (68,162 hours) both had three years LTA-free.

The agency said that 54 Virginia mine employees from various companies have worked from 10 to 44 years without missing a day of work due to an accident.

The longest was Paramont Coal Company’s Larry Scott with 44 years of accident-free service.

“It is important to recognize the significant safety achievements of Virginia's coal mines and their employees,” DMME director Conrad Spangler said.

“At a time when our coal industry faces a number of challenges, it is clear that mine management and individual miners are focusing on safety at all levels of their operations in surface and underground mines and other facilities.”

DMME Division of Mines chief Randy Moore visited all of the winning mined to present their safety awards.