COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
is pleased to announce the Greens Creek mine near Juneau, Alaska,
received the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovations Award. This award
recognizes companies that have made extraordinary efforts to apply
technology to improve the safety and health of mine workers.
The Hecla Greens Creek mine received the award for the implementation of
a collision avoidance system for its surface mobile equipment. This
system, created by SAFEMINE Technology USA, is a ground-based collision
avoidance system used in the aviation industry and uses GPS and radio
technology to monitor vehicle speed and the proximity of vehicles to one
another.
Surface operations at the Greens Creek mine are primarily located on a
single-lane road that winds through Admiralty Island in the Tongass
National Forest. Implementation of the collision avoidance system
significantly enhances safe operations by providing warnings of other
vehicles as well as allowing for establishment of speed restrictions in
certain areas.
“I continue to be impressed by the safety initiatives undertaken by
employees of Hecla. Never satisfied with the status quo, they are always
looking for ways to improve the safety and efficiency of our
operations,” said Phillips S. Baker, Jr., President and CEO. He added,
“This award demonstrates the priority safety has at Hecla.”
Dr. Jeffrey Kohler, associate director for mining and director of the
Office of Mine Safety and Health Research at NIOSH, said: “The NIOSH
Technology Innovation Awards recognize the significant advancements that
the mining industry is making -- above and beyond minimum regulatory
requirements. Hecla and SAFEMINE Technology USA's success in deploying a
collision avoidance system is a great example of adapting a technology
used in aviation and applying it to improve mining safety.”
The award was presented at a dinner hosted by the National Mining
Association in Washington, DC on October 30, 2013.
ABOUT GREENS CREEK
Hecla’s 100%-owned and operated Greens Creek mine in southeast Alaska is
one of the largest and lowest-cost primary silver mines in the world.
The underground mine is located about 18 miles south of Juneau on
Admiralty Island and employs approximately 400 people. Greens Creek
produces silver, zinc, lead and gold.
About Hecla
Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
is a leading low-cost U.S. silver producer with operating mines in
Alaska and Idaho, and is a growing gold producer with an operating mine
in Quebec, Canada. The Company also has exploration and pre-development
properties in five world-class silver and gold mining districts in the
U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and an exploration office and investments in
early-stage silver exploration projects in Canada.
Cautionary Statements
Statements made which are not historical facts, such as anticipated
payments, litigation outcome (including settlement negotiations),
production, sales of assets, exploration results and plans, costs, and
prices or sales performance are “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words
such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “projects,”
“believes,” “estimates,” “targets,” “anticipates” and similar
expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected, anticipated, expected or implied. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, metals price volatility,
volatility of metals production and costs, environmental and litigation
risks, operating risks, project development risks, political risks,
labor issues, ability to raise financing, and exploration risks. Refer
to the Company’s Form 10-K and 10-Q reports for a more detailed
discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The
Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements
other than as may be required by law.
Hecla Mining Company
Jeanne DuPont, 1-800-HECLA91 (1-800-432-5291)
Corporate
Communications Coordinator
Investor and Public Relations
hmc-info@hecla-mining.com
Source: Hecla Mining Company