Stillwater Mining Co. says it has partially closed its main mining operation in central Montana as authorities investigate the death of an employee who crashed while driving a piece of equipment.
The company said Tuesday that the accident occurred 1,200 feet underground at the Stillwater mine.
The victim was identified as Dale Alan Madson, 42, a lead equipment operator who had worked at the mine since 2008.
Amy Louviere with the Mine Safety and Health Administration said Madson was killed Monday afternoon as he was driving a piece of mine equipment with an enclosed cab that went into a ditch. A rock bolt struck Madson in the neck, she said.
It was the mine's first worker death in more than six years. Stillwater Mining Co. spokesman John Beaudry described the accident as isolated and said further details would come out following a federal investigation.
"We are all grieving. Our thoughts and prayers are with friends and co-workers," Beaudry said.
Stillwater Mining is the country's only producer of platinum and palladium, which are used for jewelry, in catalytic converters for cars and in various industrial applications. The mine employs about 900 people.
Underground work at the mine was suspended Tuesday as the accident was under review by the company and investigators. Work was to resume Tuesday night, although the area of the mine where the accident occurred was to remain closed.
Louviere said there was no end-date on the federal closure order.
The last fatality at the Stillwater mine was in April 2005 when a 52-year-old electrician was crushed between a set of air lock doors. Following an investigation, Stillwater Mining Co. was cited for unsafe work procedures and inadequate safety controls.
Federal safety records show that Stillwater had 74 significant safety violations during the prior 12 months ending on Sept. 30. The rate of violations was below the industry average for underground metals mines.
—with files from The Associated Press
The company said Tuesday that the accident occurred 1,200 feet underground at the Stillwater mine.
The victim was identified as Dale Alan Madson, 42, a lead equipment operator who had worked at the mine since 2008.
Amy Louviere with the Mine Safety and Health Administration said Madson was killed Monday afternoon as he was driving a piece of mine equipment with an enclosed cab that went into a ditch. A rock bolt struck Madson in the neck, she said.
It was the mine's first worker death in more than six years. Stillwater Mining Co. spokesman John Beaudry described the accident as isolated and said further details would come out following a federal investigation.
"We are all grieving. Our thoughts and prayers are with friends and co-workers," Beaudry said.
Stillwater Mining is the country's only producer of platinum and palladium, which are used for jewelry, in catalytic converters for cars and in various industrial applications. The mine employs about 900 people.
Underground work at the mine was suspended Tuesday as the accident was under review by the company and investigators. Work was to resume Tuesday night, although the area of the mine where the accident occurred was to remain closed.
Louviere said there was no end-date on the federal closure order.
The last fatality at the Stillwater mine was in April 2005 when a 52-year-old electrician was crushed between a set of air lock doors. Following an investigation, Stillwater Mining Co. was cited for unsafe work procedures and inadequate safety controls.
Federal safety records show that Stillwater had 74 significant safety violations during the prior 12 months ending on Sept. 30. The rate of violations was below the industry average for underground metals mines.
—with files from The Associated Press
