Wednesday, May 29, 2019 3:46 PM
One thousand days equals 24,000 hours or 1,440,000 minutes. As of April 10, that’s how long BNI Coal has gone without an on-the-job injury that resulted in an employee missing time from work.
It’s believed to be the first time in BNI’s 90-year history that the company has achieved the 1,000-day milestone, and reflects the hard work and renewed commitment to safety following an accident in November 2013 that resulted in an employee losing a leg.
“This tremendous accomplishment reflects how employees strengthened their commitment to a Zero Injury safety culture,” said Wade Boeshans, president and general manager of BNI Energy. “We came together five years ago on the heels of John’s (Renaud) serious injuries, formed what we called the Safety Culture Team, and recommitted to Zero Injury.”
After Renaud’s accident, all employees participated in a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis regarding safety. That led to the formation of the Safety Culture Team that identified safety initiatives focused on training, hazard recognition, communications and accountability.
“This was a significant inflection point in the safety culture at BNI in which all employees demanded complete commitment, engagement and accountability for safety from themselves, their co-workers and the organization,” Boeshans said. “While I am pleased with the 1,000-day accomplishment as it reflects all the hard work we did, I am most proud of the team for changing the safety culture. Nearly half of BNI employees joined the organization in the last five years and were not part of the safety analysis or the Safety Culture Team, and yet the safety culture has transcended workforce transition. I couldn’t be prouder of our team and our organization for the courage and the commitment to change culture.”
BNI celebrated its achievement on April 11 with breakfast for first shift employees and lunch for second shift workers.
“This milestone is a true testament of our employees continued focus on not ‘just having to be safe’ but ‘wanting to be safe,’ ” said Jay Volk, health, safety and environmental services manager. “It is a huge part of what makes BNI successful.”
Mike Heger, operations manager, agrees.
“One thousand days without an LTA (lost time accident) is a very impressive accomplishment for an operation of our size,” Heger said. “This achievement is the direct result of a tremendously improved safety culture at BNI, coupled with a few modest improvements to our equipment and processes. I see this as a strong signal that our ultimate goal of Zero Injury is attainable and well within reach. Congratulations to the entire organization.”
Excavator operator Casey Leingang participates in recent self-descent training at BNI. The training teaches operators how to quickly and safely exit an excavator in case of an emergency that cuts off access to the regular exits.
A Kress coal hauler loaded with 240 tons of lignite from the Center Mine makes its way to the Milton R. Young Station, where it will be used to generate power. Nearly all the lignite coal mined by BNI is consumed at the Young station.
Wade Boeshans, BNI president and general manager, congratulates the BNI team for achieving 1,000 days without an on-the-job injury that resulted in an employee missing time from work. BNI celebrated the achievement with breakfast and lunch for employees.
Sunday, October 1, 2017 12:00 AM
BNI Coal received the North Dakota Award for Excellence in Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation from the Public Service Commission at the Annual Fall Meeting of the Lignite Energy Council. BNI received the award for “Reclaiming an Inert Waste Disposal Facility at the Center Mine.”
The waste disposal facility was a mining pit that was permitted under mining regulations. It was mined in the late 1990s. After coal removal, BNI removed the acreage from the mining permit. Minnkota Power then permitted the area as a waste disposal facility under the Department of Health. The disposal facility was designed to support 30 years of bottom ash production from the Milton R. Young Station. As new markets for bottom ash developed, Minnkota no longer needed the area for ash disposal.
To reclaim this area, BNI analyzed several different scenarios and determined that redisturbing and reshaping previously reclaimed land around the ash cell was the most cost-effective option. This option required significant permit revisions. These revisions laid out the plan for restriping previously mined areas around the ash cell and cutting out areas of spoil to fill the pit. BNI opened up 86 acres of previously reclaimed land surrounding the ash cell as a borrow area.
Approximately ten feet of spoil material was removed from the area and used to help fill in the pit. The topography of the borrow area was then reshaped to blend the newly reclaimed area into the surrounding reclamation land.
All told, BNI removed 8 stockpiles, most of which were twenty or more years old. 2.9 million cubic yards of spoil were required to fill the cell, which required BNI to move over 1 million cubic yards of soil a year beginning in 2015. After initial seeding, which will be done in the spring of 2018, BNI will be able to initiate the 10 year liability period on almost two sections of land that was being used for the ash cell, stockpiles, diversions, and roads. This land will then be eligible for final bond release.
“This is a great example of the lignite industry going above and beyond regulatory requirements. By working together, and with multiple agencies, BNI and Minnkota have returned this land to a more productive use,” says Jay Volk, BNI Environmental Manager. “Our Environmental and Engineering departments did a great job working under the jurisdictions of two different state regulatory agencies during the permitting process. Our equipment operators and supervisors in the field have done an excellent job as well. At times, we had two excavators and six end-dump trucks hauling through this area, along with numerous dozers and motor graders. Their commitment to safety during this project has been fantastic, and we’re currently at 469 days and counting without a lost time accident.”
The Center Mine also received a Distinguished Safety Award for 2016 from the LEC. Distinguished Safety Awards are awarded to lignite mines and power plants that have accident rates lower than the national average. BNI achieved a .063 accident rate in 2016.
Jay Volk, Stephanie Griffin, and Jon Rudnick accept the Award for Excellence in Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation from Public Service Commissioner
