OCR Text |
Show ?r,ns asgTa(wi6g-Tfriaiirf- B2 Vernal Express Wednesday, March 19, 2003 Emmsmm Local mines stress safety, reclamation By Virginia Harrington Feature Writer Phosphates I.C and American (iilsomte Co. together employ 203 Vetn.il area residents to remove mincidls from the harth and to per-fothe supporting duties required ot mining operations. For both companies, the mining process begins with Safety First and ends with full reclamation of disturbed giound. 'Hie SI- Phosphate nunc is a 5050 joint venture by J R. Simplot Co. and I amilund Corp F.ric Schillic is the mine manager, Chris McCourt is the mine engineer and environmental cooidmator and Dennis Glines is the safely coordinator. 'Ihe operation covers 24 square 191 miles divided by Highway which runs approximately through the middle ol the operations properSI- - ly 1 he phosphate was formed over millions ol years of geological changes m Ihe F.arth. At one time g this hasm was an inland sea haul shell life forms by the millions Over time, the sea disappeared tluough natural geological ptocesses, leaving behind layers of shells lumdieds of feet thick. I rosion of the surrounding area tluough wind, water and ice covered over the layers of shells, crushing ihcm under tons of rock and soil to cteaie the phosphate being mined today Tectonic plate movements and further erosion eventually brought the phosphate ore within 60 to 100 feel ol the smface where it can be tendily mined through removal ol the smface materials. '1 he phosphate lays across the area in a f .inly even 18 foot layer under the ovei burden. 3 he phosphate is ground, concen-tiate- d and pump'd to SF's Rock Springs, Wyo. plant for conversion to commercial fertilizer. It is also an additive m some animal feeds. With current technology and rates ol removal, the depisits of phosphate will last another 75 years. Ihe American Cnlsomtc Co. got its stall mote than 1(X) years ago when prosp'etor Tom Gilson, the shiny black substance and icalied its value. He attached the Hade name Cnlsomte" to the mineral which carries ihe scientific name ot umtaiie." Gilson eventually sold Ins claim to the area and it changed hands several limes before being bought by its current mvesiois with F.arl White, mining engineer, in the pisition of operations manager. current technology and rates ot removal, the depisits of Cnlsomte will last another 50 years. They currently mine veins of ore W nil that are at least two feet wide but expect that future technology will allow veins as narrow as one foot to be mined. Some of the veins in the mine are as wide as 12 feet. At the current time, five veins are being A r p K Gilsonitc is one of three minerals classified as asphahte. The other two are glance pitch and So far, the Gilsonite in Uintah County is the only deposit of the mineral known in the world. Similar substances have been found but their chemical composition is slightly different with more elemental sulfur than in Gilsonite. This extra sulfur causes problems when the substance is put to use. Even within the deposits at American Gilsonite the mineral varies in its chemistry from one vein to another. Occasionally tfie company blends the ore from different veins to create a softening print that meets the needs of each "gra-hamit- & March 19 Golden Age Center educational series for caregivers continues with a seminar on funeral planning called, "Are your affairs in order." fioe to fee public with lunch provided for all caregivers. Runs from mined. e. 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 155 S. 9 to reserve a 100 W. Call 789-216- potV,, P c t t) vSs - March 20 TOPS meets in fee Conference Room of the Vernal City Building, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For information, call Gwen Peterson at 789-85Ah open house will be held i $. customer. from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Vernal Rotary Club meets at Ranch Cafe. noon in the Flaming Gorge H.O.G. Chapter meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Nikkis Restaurant. Members and anyone intonated in becoming a member are invited. Contact Ciny Shope at 828-580 for more or information. 7-- 11 Gilsonite is used as a component in printers ink for newspapers and magazines. It is also used as a releasing agent for molds in foundry applications, ft creates a finer finish on the inside of a mold, providing a slick surface for easier release of the substance inside the mold. Gilsonite is also used as a in the oil field. "mud additive Since water alone cannot push out the cuts from drilling, mud is added to the water to create an adequate pressure. When Gilsonite is added to the mud the cuttings are more readily removed. At the same time, the Gilsonite will seep into cracks in the walls of the drilled area and will seal them to prevent loss of circulation of the water. Gilsonite is used to harden asphalt for highways and airport runways, especially in the south. It helps to prevent the ruts that form when asphalt softens in the heat and is then subjected to the weight of vehicles. It is often used in asphalt shingles to create a more solid roofing material and is also used to paint driveways. The formation of Gilsonit followed a geologic pattern similar to that of phosphate. An inlanlTTcS underwent the geological changes that happen over millions of years. When it was raised by the movement of the tectonic plates (about 10 million years ago) all that was left were the hydrocarbons from algae and beta carotine that had filled the lake. Millions of years of pressure had turned it into the mineral that is mined today. Culture of safety Safety is a primary concern in any mining operation and this concern is emphasized at both SF Phosphate photo courtesy Lee Jenkins Vacuums are used at American Gilsonite to lift the ore out of the mines and transfer it to silos and the processing plant. photo courtesy Dennis Glines SF Phosphate maintains a barrier strip of land between the mining operation and the Creek Gorge. This precaution prevents erosion into the creek. and American Gilsonite. Earl White of American Gilsonite referred to the operation of the mine as a culture of safety. Mines in the United States are under the jurisdiction of the Mine Safety and Health Administration than the rather (MSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). MSHA regulations are much stricter than those of OSHA. For example, OSHA inspects on an as needed basis and often gives the inspection dates to the company it will be inspecting. MSHA inspects at least two times each year at SF Phosphate and quarterly at American Gilsonite. MSHA never announces the inspections ahead of time. The inspectors can get up to five years in prison if caught giving prior notice1' of inspection dates. If a violation of a mining safety regulation is found during an inspection a citation must be given. MSHA never gives warnings as OSHA does.' In addition to the minimum inspections, surprise inspections happen frequently at all mines. Air and water quality ate monitored constantly. SF Phosphate SF Phosphate has not had a lost work time accident in six years. This is due to an efficient protocol of safety and continuing training of all personnel. New employees get three full days of safety training. In addition, each department does task training for equipment and task. Every year all employees are required to complete eight hours in a safety refresher course. There are regular monthly safety instructions within each department. Every mining crew has a tailgate" safety review of about 10 minutes before starting work each day. Throughout the area there are signs reminding posters and employees of the need for safety. There are even signs reminding the workers of animal crossing trails. All vehicles have their wheels chucked when parked. Blasting is conducted at the phosphate mine several times each pxXc axrtesy Lee Jenkn American Gilsonite reclaims any land disturbed by its operation. The posts in this reclaimed site have been removed. Community Calendar rim of Big Brush 789-819- 42 J March 21 Community dance at the Golden Age Center at 8 p.m. every Friday. All ages are welcome. Kays Band provides fee music. 155 S. 100 W. , i March 22 Basin Backcountry " and Countryside Veterinary Clinic will hold an open vaccination clinic at Western Park ' Vsnoon. West Nile Virus vaccines, at Ccqh&s tesU aod yearly vaccinaUintah Horsemen, tions will be available. - r , cSCff'Wort44i:ii photo courtesy Dennis GHnes Richard Horrocks monitors the flotation circuit in the SF Phosphate mill to be sure the slurry mixture is appropriate, week, either to loosen the overbur- den (the material covering the phosphate) for easier removal or to break up the phosphate ore itself. Before a shot takes place, the area is visually checked for people and equipment. (Since one bulldozer costs over a million dollars, that precaution is wise.) A siren is sounded approximately five minutes prior to blasting. Finally, a radio check to ensure the location of all personnel is done. When everyone is accounted for and the area is clear, the blast is detonated. Seismographic studies indicate that the effects of ground vibration from the blasts are not present in Venial. What can be felt and sometimes heard when the atmospheric conditions are just right is a movement of compressed air, referred to as air overpressure, passing over the city. The visible effect of the blasting that is sometimes seen across a wide area is a cloud of dust, not smoke or chemicals. The mine has a Title 5 air permit that requires them to monitor the dust and keep records documenting the results. These records are inspected annually by the Utah Division of Air Quality. Dust is kept to a minimum throughout the mining area with water trucks. Each day, 1 8,000 gallons of water are poured over the area being mined and at least another 10,000 gallons are used on the roads.The water comes from wells and is recycled from the ponds that are visible from the highway. A barge with a pump house pumps the water back to the operations area. No water is taken from nearby Brush Creek. Clint Stagg, a heavy equipment operator for SF Phosphate, said the company is good to the employees and is always looking out for their safety. He said that in the pit area all traffic uses a left hand pattern. This means driving on the left side rather than ot the right as you would on the street This is done for safety purposes as it is easier for the operators to see where the edge of the road is when locking out their drivers side window. Each truck is equipped with an automatic fire suppression system that receives semi annual servicing plus monthly and daily system checks. The phosphate ore is hauled to a crusher where it is dumped and ground to the size of 10 inch, minus rocks. No one is allowed to stand near the area where the dumping takes place. From the crusher, the ore goes to a conveyor belt (with a total length of 6,000 feet) which carries it to the SAG mill. It is then pumped to the main concentrator where additional grinding and flotation circuits are used to concentrate the ore from 19 or 20 percent up to 30.8 percent phosphate. The slurry mixture is pumped from the mill to a halfway station just inside Wyoming and then pumped again to its final processing in Rock Springs, Wyo. American Gilsonite Safety protocols at American Gilsonite are specific to underground mining and ore processing and are equally comprehensive. An accident just a few months ago resulted in injury to a miner, bringing to an end an impressive 18 year record of no injuries and no lost work time. This recent accident happened when a piece ground gave w ay in the mine, causing a fall with broken bones. Fortunately, the employee recovered from these injuries. The dust from Gilsonite is four times more explosive than the dust from coal. Therefore, devices are used instead of electricity. Lights are battery operated. There is no cutting or welding done underground near the dust and absolutely no smoking or open flame. The processing plants at the mine all have explosion proof motors. There can be no cutting or welding in the plants without a fire permit and a supervisors permit with written precautions. Most of the mining is done by hand with eight pound (The friction of the hammer does not create enough heat to explode the dust) Blasting is used to loosen the mineral in some areas but is done with every precaution. A hole is drilled and the blasting material is place inside. This is then covered with clay and the detonation wire is run to the surface. All employees are outside of the mine drawing fax free books continue stories for kids. along wife NOTE fee day change for Reading 7- - 49' ' -- eh"' . i a Sensitivity Syndrome information meeting at 7 p.m. in fee Discovery Fifth Grade Center aufetorium.' 7 ScotopiC An exercise program for oldej adults at fee Golden Age Center stmts at 10:30 a.m. Many exercises harbe done while seated. .. i V i March 28 V GED test offered by Uintah School District March 28 A 29. Applications must be filed by 6 p.m. Friday and fee test starts at 6 p.m. The fee is $55 and retakes are available for $11 per subtest Call David John or Elaine Gardiner at 781-31- 00 ext 1013 , March 29 Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce Radio Auction. Cali 789-13ot visit fee web site at www.venralchamber.com. Current Topics annual rummage sale at fee National Guard Armory building runs from 9 f .m. to 3 p.m. USOMATAUtah Youth 52 Symphony Orchestra combined concert at 7 pm. in the Vernal Middle School Auditorium. ed chip-hamme- See Mines on page B4 April 2 Caregiver mining continues at fee Golden Age Center at ! p.m. Rcbert Hall presents, "Depression in Cisiy. A3 csregjvere and senior cs welcome. TopUpaltpascf rcCCz Ltcrcst cn the -- v. Vi Oprzss, ICC 3, 1 tawif P. 0. Ccx call eat tcrCvcrr.alccm or call the Vernal Express at 789-351- 1. POOR 1 |