It happens every year, but in 2020 it looked a little different
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) requires annual refresher training for people working in the industry, which includes Valley Forge engineers who travel to various mine sites throughout the U.S. for product installations and servicing. As you might imagine, this year’s certification process in surface mining health and safety looked a little different than years past.
For starters, our trainer, Dave Gardner of Gardner Safety Services, was not physically present for the instruction. He appeared via remote weblink. Second, Valley Forge engineers participating in the training were socially distanced at least six feet apart and wore face coverings throughout the instruction.
Over two days, Gardner guided engineers through a refresher course touching on all aspects of mining health safety covering vehicles, power supplies, lock out/tag out procedures, dropped objects, and more.
James Brooks, Valley Forge’s director of engineering, says the ability of the company’s engineers to be certified in the field is fundamental to the way we do business.
“Because we offer strong on-the-ground support to our customers in addition to products, it’s important that we stay current with our MSHA certification,” said James Brooks, Valley Forge’s director of engineering. “Other bolt manufacturers don’t have MSHA-certified engineers on staff. Because we do, we can offer around-the-clock technical support to mines. It’s what our customers expect and deserve.”
