Federal mine-safety regulators have cited the homeowners of the Red Dog mine for 13 violations that company inspectors discovered on the mine in August. But company officers say Teck Alaska has addressed the violations on the zinc mine close to Kotzebue.
Red Dog is likely one of the greatest zinc and lead mines on the earth, and it has a history of violating federal health and environmental laws and regulations. But the 13 violations inspectors discovered on the mine in August contain security hazards for miners.
A spokesperson for the Canada-based Teck Alaska declined to speak in regards to the violations on tape, however mentioned in an electronic mail Tuesday that “At Red Dog Operations, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our people.”
A spokesperson for the federal Department of Labor additionally declined to speak on tape, however mentioned in an electronic mail that Teck Alaska has addressed all 13 of the citations. The spokesperson mentioned the company hasn’t, nevertheless, been informed by Teck whether or not it’ll contest the violations and penalties.
The Teck spokesperson declined to touch upon that. But within the electronic mail, he wrote, “We addressed these violations immediately and have taken action to prevent any recurrence.”
Officials with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA, inspected Red Dog and 13 different mines across the nation in August as a part of its routine month-to-month inspections.
The Labor Department spokesperson mentioned MSHA has fined Teck greater than $46,000 and proposed penalties for all 13 violations — eight of which have been categorized as vital and substantial. MSHA mentioned seven might’ve prompted miners to slide, journey or fall, and one was for failure to offer secure access to a piece space.
MSHA additionally ordered the corporate to right a visit and fall violation in a single work space the place rock and dirt had amassed.
Editor’s be aware: KOTZ’s Desiree Hagen in Kotzebue contributed to this story.
