MINEXPO EVENTS Several special events will be held throughout the duration of MINExpo
The 2016 MINExpo International, which will be hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, in Nevada, in the US, from September 26 to 28, offers several special events and tours for attendees. Tickets can be bought during registration for the event, while on-site and online registration will remain open for tours for the duration of MINExpo.
The first of the luncheons, which will both be held in room S223 in the South Building, are to honour US mining companies for best practices in safety and environmental diligence.
The Sentinels of Safety luncheon, which takes place on September 27 from 12:30 to 14:00, will honour the 2015 award winners who will receive their commendations from sponsor US mining lobby group and MINExpo International event organiser the National Mining Association (NMA). The luncheon will also host the Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovation Awards, which will be presented by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
The Sentinels of Safety Awards recognise the US’s safest mines. The awards are given to coal and minerals mining operations in ten categories for recording the most hours in a calendar year without lost-time injury. A minimum of 4 000 hours are required for award consideration. The award categories reflect the safety accomplishments of both small and large mines, mills and preparation plants.
NIOSH recognises mines and companies which have made an extraordinary effort to apply technologies in ways that will improve mineworker safety or health. The goal of this award is to promote the identification, adoption and dissemination of safety and health technologies throughout the mining industry.
These awards were initiated in 1925 by then-Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover and remain the US’s most prestigious awards recognising mining safety, notes MINExpo.
The second luncheon, the Department of Interior Awards Luncheon, will take place on Wednesday, also between 12:30 and 14:00. This event will cater for the 2016 Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Awards, as well as the Bureau of Land Management’s Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Awards.
The Department of the Interior began the environmental awards programme for mining in 1986 with the Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Award. A parallel programme for abandoned mine land reclamation was launched in 1992. The Bureau of Land Management first presented its mining awards in 2003 to recognise sustainable development practices that include separate categories for environmental practices throughout the mining community. Today, the awards are presented to mines making outstanding contributions to the environment, mine reclamation and community outreach.
Las Vegas Tours
There are six tours offered as part of MINExpo that run for the duration of the event. These tours are meant to provide attendees with “once-in-a-lifetime experiences”, thereby enhancing the overall tone and atmosphere of the MINExpo event, says the NMA.
MINExpo attendees can choose from the Black Canyon River Raft Trip, which takes place on Sunday, September 25, from 8:30 to 14:30; t
he Nascar Ride-Along Experience also on Sunday; and
the Mob Museum Tour on Monday
.
The last two tours, which take place on Wednesday, are the Las Vegas City tour and Neon Museum visit, and on Tuesday; the Hoover dam tour.
Ticket prices, departure times and other information about the tours can be found on the MINExpo website.