Vulcan recognized for safety achievement, land reclamation

MSHA has recognized Vulcan Materials Co.‘s Calera Quarry for outstanding safety achievement. Vulcan’s Calera employees have worked since February 2006 – more than 1.2 million man-hours – without a lost-time injury, and more than 500,000 man-hours without a medical case.

In a letter to Calera Plant Manager Terry Cummins, MSHA’s Southeast District Manager Michael Davis writes, “I want to thank each of you for the personal effort you make toward a safe and healthful work environment. To achieve this notable safety and health record is quite an accomplishment.”

In other Vulcan news, two of the company’s Virginia sites were recently recognized for innovative reclamation practices. The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance presented the awards to Vulcan for its Skippers Quarry and Curles Neck Sand & Gravel operations.

The 747-acre Skippers Quarry, located just south of Emporia, Va., supplies the coastal plains of Virginia and North Carolina with granite aggregates ranging in size from sand to armor stone. The quarry is somewhat unique given its close proximity to wetlands, creeks and ponds.

To fully utilize the available space for quarry operations, Vulcan had to design its facilities to ensure the natural areas were not affected. Vulcan also focused on creating wildlife habitat, and for the last two years the quarry has been a Wildlife Habitat Council-certified site.

Vulcan’s Curles Neck mine, located southeast of Richmond, Va., was also recognized for reclamation. The Curles Neck mine, situated on a large tract of farmland, ceased extraction activities in 2008. Final site reclamation began then, and it’s virtually complete across 624 acres. The reclaimed land has been returned to a combination of active agricultural fields, irrigation and storm water control ponds, pasture land, grassy uplands and wildlife habitat areas.

The majority of surface water runoff flows into reclaimed pond areas used for irrigation water. These retention areas prevent sediment and fertilizer from farming activities from entering the James River and the Chesapeake Bay.