L-D66 members earn top mine safety award

Honor is first for National Gypsum Co.

OPEN PIT GYPSUM miners from Local D66 (Fort Dodge, Iowa), working for National Gypsum Co., received the 2008 Sentinels of Safety award last November. Sponsored by the National Mining Association and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, the honor recognizes facilities with outstanding safety records. Local D66 members worked more than 10 years without a single lost workday injury.

Winning a top mine safety award are Local D-66 members, l. to r., Sam Wharem, foreman Delmar Peterson, Trent Dorothy, Tim Pingel, Jessie Lara, Dave Gollob, Mark Brezoven, and Perry Hewett. Not pictured are Neil Hungate, Tom Lennon, Cameron Kirkpatrick, and Randy Dorage.
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Twenty “Sentinels” are given each year across eight mining categories. This is the first time National Gypsum has received the award. The Fort Dodge facility won in the small open pit division.

“Safety is our number one priority here at Local D66,” said Lodge President Michael Schiek. “Our members have always demonstrated safety leadership and knowledge in everyday tasks, year in, year out. On every job, on every entry and exit of equipment, and in adverse weather conditions, attention to safety pays off. The number one benefit of the Sentinels of Safety award is that it means all of us returned home to our families at the end of the day.”