The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy honoured operations which upheld outstanding safety performance through 2007 across four main categories: small and large underground mines, and small and large surface mines.

The chosen winners, which qualified by completing the year without a lost-time accident, were reviewed by the state’s Coal Mine Safety Board.

Taking the honour in the Large Underground Mine division was the Black Dog No. 2 operation, the crews of which reported 189,831 employee hours without a lost-time accident. The mine near Bee was the only complex in contention for the award which marked zero lost-time accidents.

Three ANR subsidiary properties also took runner-up awards in the Large Surface Mine division, including Paramont Coal Company Virginia’s 88 Strip and Red Onion surface mines and Dickenson-Russell Coal's McClure River preparation plant. None marked a lost-time accident last year.

According to the company, the DMME and VCMSB also honour individuals at mine operations that finish a calendar year without lost-time injuries.

For 2007, several of those workers were ANR team members: 13 at Deep Mine No. 35 received plaques for working longer than 30 years without a lost-time accident, 12 marked 20 to 30 years and eight were honoured for 10 to 20 years of service lost-time-injury-free.