ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV is learning more about the mining safety investigation of a deadly incident that occurred last week in St. Lucie County.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration's preliminary report confirmed the miner who died was operating an excavator along a water-filled pit when it fell into the pit and submerged.
We looked into what kind of training is required for Florida mining and how best practices discovered during these types of investigations are implemented.
Every year, miners from across the country bring their teams to Florida for a mine rescue competition.
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Karen Miller with the Florida Mine Safety Program in Tallahassee, an educational program funded by Mining Safety Health Administration or MSHA State Grants, said the annual mine rescue competition is optional, but it allows teams to hone their skills if they needed to respond to a rescue.
"They are the first line of defense," Miller said. "You need to always be prepared. You can't always count on the emergency response."
The competition is just one training component offered by the Mine Safety Program.
In Florida, there's phosphate, titanium, sand, gravel and limestone mining. MSHA mandates Florida miners to complete specific training, depending on the job.
"A new miner coming into the workplace is going to get 24 hours of training that is followed by annually of eight hours of training," Miller said.
Miller said mining operators may add training tailored to specific mining jobs or tasks. After every mining-related tragedy, MSHA investigates and also determines what training or standards need to be adopted to prevent future incidents.
"It's through those best practices that we determine what additional training are these miners required to have," Miller said.
The news of miner Kenneth Wright's death in St. Lucie County shook the Florida mining industry. MSHA reports he was an equipment operator with nearly three years of experience.
