POWDER RIVER COAL COMPANY
GILLETTE, WYOMING
This page was created by Nicole Flohr, Lakeview Elementary School.
ROCHELLE COAL MINE
Rochelle Coal Mine began operating in 1985. This mine is a truck
and shovel operation. Rochelle has permission to mine up to 30 million
tons of coal annually. In 1995 this mine was the second largest producer
of coal in the United States, producing 26 million tons with 265 employees.
Currently they employ 290 men and women. Rochelle's maintenance
and production crews work 12-hour rotating shifts while the pit crews
work a 10-hour shift. Rochelle produces an average of 337 tons of coal per
employee shift. This is ten times greater than the average coal mine in
the United States. They have two silos that
hold 15,000 tons of coal each and a storage facility that holds 55,000 tons
of coal.
At Rochelle safety always comes first. In 1995 Rochelle operated 697,000
employee hours without a lost time accident, or 482 days of operating safely.
In 1993, Rochelle Mine was the first runner-up for the Sentinels of Safety
Award which recognizes the safest coal mine in the United States. The reason
Rochelle was the first runner-up instead of the winner is the fact that
the winning mine had worked more hours.