Sheerness Mine was opened on April 3, 1995 and has not recorded a Lost Time Incident in the 20 years that it has operated in the Hanna, Alberta area. Sheerness Mine has a rich and proud history of safety. From monthly crew safety meetings to monthly Emergency Response Team practice days. Sheerness Mine dedicates more than 3,000 paid work hours to such initiatives each year. One reason for the safety success at Sheerness is a collaborative approach to developing policies and taking the time to discuss issues with the workforce both at work, and off site.
The Sheerness Mine has won the John T. Ryan Awards in 1996, 2001, 2004 and 2009. John T. Ryan Trophies are Canadian Institute of Mining Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) awards of excellence. This award is given to a mine in a given category (Coal) which experiences the lowest accident frequency during the previous year in all of Canada.
Sheerness Mine has been an active member of the Alberta Mine Safety Association (AMSA), providing safety direction to the Occupational Health and Safety(OH&S) regulator in Alberta, as well as competing in the Alberta Mine Safety Associations Open Pit Mine Rescue competitions.
This achievement demonstrates the commitment that management, IUOE – Local 955 and individual workers have all made towards the uncompromising goal of safety.