Peabody officials reflected on what they referred to as a corporate culture. “Safety is a core value, part of our mission and a way of life for all of us at Peabody,” said Peabody President-Americas Kemal Williamson. “These results demonstrate our continued focus on teamwork, training, communications and best practice.”
The Bear Run mine in Indiana’s Sullivan County is the largest surface mine in the Eastern U.S. having shipped 7.7 million tons of coal last year. Bear Run caters to industrial sites and consumers supplying power for millions nationwide, as well as electric co-ops and utilities. As a major employer and economic growth source, Bear Run’s annual operations inject more than $242 million in direct benefits to the Indiana region.
The Kayenta mine shipped 7.5 million tons of coal to the Navajo Generating Station near Page, Ariz., in 2012. About 98% of its workforce is Native American, while operations inject more than $115 million in direct benefits to tribal economies annually. The mine also contributes $1.3 million in tax revenues to reservation schools per year.
Last year was Peabody’s safest year, according to company officials, in which it delivered an overall 1.82 safety rate per 200,000 hours, a 9% improvement over 2011. Through Q1 2013, seven Peabody operations in the Americas platform operated without a reportable incident.
