Mine safety questions lead to 4-day shutdown

Troy Mine resumed underground operations Tuesday after a four-day interruption that stemmed from questions about the mine’s safety.

“We were moving into some new areas, and we have a mixed array of experience in our crews,” said John Shanahan, chief executive officer of Revett Minerals, Troy Mine’s parent company. “There were some inexperienced people that said, ‘we are not comfortable with this new area.’”

All underground workers were sent home Friday evening for unpaid time off until an outside consultant was available to inspect the mine’s safety. A handful of mill workers and the company’s mechanic crew continued operations.

Shanahan and Carson Rife, vice president of operations, traveled from Revett’s Spokane Valley, Wash. office, and spent Monday and Tuesday at the mine.

Shanahan expressed optimism about the trip and the findings of the consultant, or “rock mechanic.”

“Everything was fine,” Shanahan said. “The rock mechanic was very happy with the area, and nothing was identified as a problem.”

Shanahan said the experience offered a chance for him to meet with miners face-to-face and answer their questions. It also allowed mechanics critical time to catch up on maintenance of the machinery, which runs 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

“We want to meet our productivity goals without compromising safety,” Shanahan said. “Sometimes people view these things as unnecessary, but it’s not just about getting to tomorrow, it’s about getting to next year.”

Shanahan doesn’t remember the last time operations were halted for safety reasons, but added, “It will happen from time-to-time. There is nothing abnormal about this.”

One mine worker can’t recall such an incident in his three years with the company, except the days following a Troy miner’s death in 2007.

Shanahan said that the interruption was “expensive for the company” but that precaution “pays off in the long run.” He would not guess how much money the company lost during the halt in production.

“It would be unfair to put a price tag on it,” Shanahan said, “because that would be putting a price tag on safety. I’m not going to do that.”

Troy Mine has been struggling just to keep its doors open. Miners took a 10-percent wage cut last December when commodity prices plummeted, along with notice that the mine may close. Currently, it’s only staying open on a month-by-month basis.

In addition, a multi-million dollar lawsuit was filed last week against Revett Minerals for the 2007 death of miner Michael E. Ivins.

Shanahan praises workers for doubling their efforts in harsh economic times, and remains cautiously optimistic about the mine’s future.

A few days prior to the four-day closure, the company announced that Troy Mine would continue operations at least through March.