Revett, government regulators reach settlement

A settlement reached last August between Revett Minerals and government regulators concerning fines levied after a Troy Mine worker’s death in 2007 has been approved. 

Revett agreed to pay $548,865 for citations and penalties issued by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Revett had contested 68 alleged violations adding up to more than $800,000 in fines, many of which concerned the use of underground supports.

MSHA’s investigation found that the 2007 fatality occurred because mine management failed to ensure that adverse ground conditions identified during the mining cycle were adequately supported.

“As a result of the litigation between MSHA and Genesis Inc., the company has begun implementing new ground control measures and workplace examination procedures,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for MSHA. “Those efforts paid off because, during the first quarter inspection of fiscal year 2010, no ground control violations were detected.”

Tim Lindsey, Chair of the Board of Directors for Revett, disagrees that the company’s improved safety record is a direct response to MSHA citations. Safety continues to be Revett’s No. 1 goal, he said, and the company does everything it can to mitigate the dangers of mining. 

“We want this to be a culture of safety first,” Lindsey said. “That will earn us the rights to move down the path. Environment and the stewardship of that environment is No. 2. No. 3 is being a good neighbor. Then, we have the right to be a profitable public company.”