As part of its outreach efforts, the KBDJ quarry hosts open houses and school field trips. More than 140 fourth graders from Bridge Point Elementary School in the Eanes school district visited the Buda-area site in November. (COURTESY PHOTO)
STAFF REPORT
The KBDJ quarry near Buda has won a safety award from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for achieving 23,421 employee-hours worked without a lost-workday injury.
This is the second time KBDJ has won a Sentinels of Safety award from MSHA, which routinely conducts random safety inspections at the quarry.
“The safety of our employees, contractors, and neighbors is of utmost importance to KBDJ,” said company president Jill Shackelford. “It’s important that the community know we run an extremely safe operation.”
The annual Sentinels of Safety award program recognizes “achievement of outstanding safety records to stimulate greater interest in safety and to encourage development of more effective accident prevention programs among the nation’s mineral extractive industries.” The program is cosponsored by the National Mining Association (NMA).
KBDJ’s 23,421 employee-hours without a lost-workday injury equates to more than four years without experiencing even a minor injury. The company holds weekly safety meetings and discussions about accidents that have occurred at other facilities across the country, said plant engineer Lenny Bobrowski.
“The whole crew operates with a keen sense of awareness about safety,” Bobrowski said. “We all realize that more than anything we want to get home to our families at the end of the day. I’m really proud of the team — they’ve earned this award.”
KBDJ posts MSHA inspection reports on its website and has received numerous perfect scores on its inspections. In 2007, one inspector wrote, “This inspection was an excellent one.The company was in compliance at the plant and with all records.”
KBDJ, LP is also a certi?ed wildlife habitat conservation site by the internationally-recognized Wildlife Habitat Council. The company’s employees and community partners conduct numerous environmental projects throughout the year to preserve and protect the open space surrounding KBDJ’s active mining operation. KBDJ also offers its site as an outdoor classroom to schools and professional organizations seeking to study the Texas Hill Country.
