Safford’s Work to Reduce Hazard Exposure Honored at MINExpo

October 7, 2024 - The company’s Safford, Ariz., mine has been recognized for a high-tech solution aimed at enhancing the site’s safe production efforts.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has presented the company’s Safford mine with its 2024 Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovations Award. The award, given at MINExpo in Las Vegas in September, “recognizes mines and companies that have made an extraordinary effort to apply technology or improve processes in innovative ways, above and beyond mandatory requirements, to improve worker safety and health.”

NIOSH recognized Safford for implementing an automated copper cathode stripping machine, which helps reduce hazard exposure while making cathode sampling and labeling more reliable. Brought online in 2022, the machine can process 450 cathode sheets per hour, and its operator sits above it, removed from moving-equipment hazards.

“We’re honored that Safford’s investment in robotics has been recognized as a great enhancement to safe production,” said Vicki Seppala, General Manager-Safford. “Technology solutions like the cathode stripping machine are helping make the work environment safer for our team members while improving our efficiency.”

Larissa Tarango, Senior Electrical Engineer, accepted the award on Safford’s behalf.

"During the engineering phase of every project, we place significant focus on the operability and maintenance of the system,” she said. “This approach is integral to our process, and sometimes we fail to acknowledge the critical role we play in ensuring the safety of others. Being recognized with the NIOSH Award for our efforts in rethinking and improving a system – rather than adhering to the status quo – inspires us to continue driving modernization projects across all sites.”

Photos (left to right):  A grasping arm on Safford’s robotic cathode stripping circuit picks up a cathode sheet freshly harvested from the adjacent tankhouse; A stack of cathode sheets arrives at the end of Safford’s robotic stripping circuit. From here, a forklift will pick it up and move it to a loading yard for shipment off site; Dr. Steve Sawyer Jr., Director, NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Center (left) presents the NIOSH Award to Safford team members Larissa Tarango, Senior Electrical Engineer; Cameron Leachet, Superintendent, Process Automation; and Loyd Holmes, Process Operations Technician.