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Ouray silver mine improves safety after two deaths

Durangoan killed in 2013 accident
Rick Williams, pictured here with his granddaughter Marley in 2012 near Mancos, was killed in a preventable accident at the Revenue Silver Mine near Ouray in 2013. The mine has just had its pattern of violations ruling lifted by the Mining Safety and Health Administration.

After an incident that led to the deaths of two men and a ruling of a “pattern of violations,” operations at a silver mine near Ouray are now considered safer.

The Mining Safety and Health Administration lifted the pattern of violations at the Fortune Revenue Silver Mine designation earlier this month.

Star Mining Operations was running the mine when Durangoan Rick Williams, 59, and Nick Cappano, 34, of Montrose, were killed by carbon-monoxide poisoning in November 2013. MSHA ruled in October 2014 that the deaths were “entirely preventable” and fined Star $1 million, the second largest fine ever issued to a noncoal mine for its “high or reckless disregard.”

In 2014, Fortune Minerals Ltd. bought the mine in two stages, taking full ownership in October. Fortune Minerals had no liability in the accident.

“As the largest employer in Ouray County, the achievement we are most proud of over this past year is the significant impact we have had on improving safety at the mine since assuming full control of operations in October,” said Troy Nazarewicz, Fortune’s investor relations manager.

“Incidents of safety violations and accidents are significantly lower, reflecting our collective commitment,” he said.

One of Fortune’s first actions was to conduct a safety audit and put a safety plan in place, he said.

Among the safety improvements Fortune has made at the Revenue Mine was drilling a shaft to improve ventilation and airflow as well as providing a secondary escape route at the back of the mine. Fortune also incorporated a number of smaller changes that have had a cumulative impact on safety levels, Nazarewicz said, including increased safety training.

“Even with the significant progress on safety at the mine, we understand that continuous progress is essential, and we will continue to be vigilant in this regard,” he said. “The focus on safety benefits all our employees and the wider community in which we operate.”

Fortune, which has about 160 employees at the Revenue, also has invested heavily in commercial silver production for the mine and mill operations at the site. As part of the financing for the improvements, the company sold its share of the Arctos coal project in northwest British Columbia, Canada, for $7.3 million (Canadian $9 million) on May 5.

abutler@durangoherald.com



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