Leading in Safety Performance
Arch Resources
1.01
Industry Average
2.36
Lost-time incidents per 200,000 employee-hours worked in 2021
During the past five years, Arch has averaged 0.94 lost-time incidents per 200,000 employee-hours worked, versus an industry average of 2.25. In 2021, Arch averaged 1.01 lost-time incidents per 200,000 employee-hours worked, versus an industry average of 2.36. During the past five years, Arch and its subsidiaries had an average all-incidence rate of 1.29.
As part of its behavior-based safety culture, Arch’s subsidiary operations also track safety “near misses” as part of an ongoing and comprehensive effort to identify and eliminate risks wherever they might occur. During 2021, the employees at Arch subsidiaries identified 334 instances in which risks that could have resulted in injury were present, creating invaluable opportunities to address such risks and reduce the potential for injury in the future. During the past five years, Arch and its subsidiaries had an aggregate average safety “near miss” rate of 12.59 per 200,000 hours worked.
Arch’s corporate culture is grounded in a proactive, behavior-based approach to safety and in the core belief that operating safely is each employee’s top priority.
Arch and its subsidiaries are unified in the objective of achieving zero injuries at each operation each and every year, with a highly intensive emphasis on serious injury elimination. Tragically, Arch subsidiaries have experienced three fatalities in the past five years, for a fatal incident rate of 0.015 per 200,000 employee-hours worked.
Across the organization, employees engage in a proactive, behavior-based approach to safety. Every field employee participates in safety training on an ongoing basis, and nearly 100 percent of our field employees have been trained as safety observers. If an at-risk behavior or a barrier to safe behavior is identified, employees are empowered to engage and to apply their training to resolve the potentially unsafe condition or practice immediately. During 2021, Arch’s operating subsidiaries conducted 258,521 written safety observations and 115,199 written pre-job risk assessments, along with countless verbal observations and assessments.
Operating safely and responsibly is Arch’s single highest priority and the cornerstone of our corporate culture.
Employee-Driven Safety Culture
1.75
million
A Commitment to Safety Excellence
40+
national and state safety awards
While emphasis on at-risk behavior has resulted in further improvements in our safety performance, Arch has expanded its efforts to include procedures that have an elevated exposure to risk. Over the past nine years, our mining complexes have conducted Workplace Risk Assessment and Control (WRAC) evaluations. Participation in the WRAC process challenges employees who perform a job function regularly to conduct an in-depth, multi-level evaluation of the procedure in an effort to prevent the occurrence of future safety events. As potential hazards are identified, the group makes the necessary changes to the procedure to mitigate those potential hazards, and those changes are documented and shared across the company. This type of evaluation provides employees with a forum to express potential risks they may encounter while completing their daily tasks — and to problem-solve as a team in order to adjust the procedure appropriately.
Arch’s operations maintain nine mine rescue teams that are highly trained in responding to a mining crisis at our own subsidiary operations as well as in assisting other operators. In the past five years, our rescue teams have achieved top finishes in local, state and national mine rescue competitions. Such competitions provide valuable opportunities to sharpen team skills, identify and adopt best practices, and gauge preparedness.
In addition, each of Arch’s underground mines is equipped with advanced rescue equipment, sophisticated communications and tracking systems, and underground refuge chambers equipped with oxygen canisters, water, food and other life-sustaining necessities. Arch’s Wyoming Surface Mine Rescue Team (SMRT) will also respond to assist the county when requested.
Sentinels of Safety Award
Sentinels of Safety awards since 2010
The nation’s most prestigious national award for mine safety
In the past 11 years, Arch subsidiary operations have won 10 Sentinels of Safety awards, the nation’s most prestigious national award for mine safety, including the awards for the large underground and small preparation plant categories during 2020.
Recently, the Leer mine — the largest underground mine in Arch’s subsidiary portfolio — operated more than 2 million consecutive employee-hours, or nearly two full years, without a lost-time incident.
During 2020, the Leer mine captured the Milestone Safety Award — West Virginia’s top honor for underground mines — and both the Leer South and Leer South prep plant received West Virginia Mountaineer Guardian Awards for safety excellence. The Leer mine has won the Milestone Safety Award five times in the past seven years.
On the surface side, the Black Thunder mine in Wyoming recently completed a full year of operation, and more than 2 million employee-hours worked, without a single lost-time incident.
As part of Arch’s health and wellness programs, we offer our employees a formal disease management program and tailored advice and coaching for a variety of health issues. In addition, company health fairs provide free health screenings for prevention and early detection.
