Ehnes and Tinnell recognized for safety performance

Kyle Ehnes, Infrastructure Technician

Sometimes, safety is quite simple. For proactive thinking matched with a straightforward solution, Kyle Ehnes was recognized with the October 2018 Safety Performance Award by the Environment, Safety and Health Department (ESH).

When a pump motor was being taken to the 5000 Level, Ehnes realized that its weight made the rope excessively tight. This tightness would make the technician’s next task, installing a new dogging system on the hoist, more complex as they would need to remove the thimble from the cage to release the tension on the rope, which could create up to four hours of downtime. (Note: The thimble is the device above the cage that holds the rope.)

After the pump motor was delivered, Ehnes suggested the hoist operator lower the cage again—this time empty, without any extra weight. This trip released most of the twist in the rope. This proactive thinking and straightforward solution prevented the unnecessary hazard of removing the thimble from the cage. 

“Kyle’s attitude toward safety on the job is a top priority,” said Michael Johnson, Ross Shaft superintendent. “He promotes a culture of safety daily with his co-workers. With his experience and safe-work practices, he is a great asset to have on the team.”

Rick Tinnell, Rope Technician

When intuition and safety meet, problems get solved. For following through on his intuition and fixing a safety issue, Rick Tinnell was recognized with the November 2018 Safety Performance Award by the ESH department. 

In November, the Yates night shift crew reported that the slack rope alarm switch was not working properly. A work order was sent in and the alarm issue was discussed during a morning toolbox talk with the day shift crew. 

Although Tinnell works with a different department, he stopped by at the time of the toolbox talk and heard of the issue. At the time, employees thought the issue was an electrical problem, requiring an electrician and perhaps several hours to correct.  

Tinnell, on the other hand, was not so sure that an electrician was the answer. He enlisted the assistance of a Yates Shaft technician and traveled to the 1100 Level to test the dog-in system. Tinnell discovered that the switch box—though it appeared to be sitting “square”—was in fact slightly tipped, not allowing  the switch to open and close properly. Within minutes the pair had located the loosened bolts, corrected the problem and returned the cage to normal operations. 

“Rick is always taking care of anything that might be a safety issue,” said Gary Larson, facility maintenance foreman. “With this issue, Rick said, ‘It’s not above and beyond, it’s just my job.’”

Sanford Underground Research Facility's (Sanford Lab) Safety Performance Awards are built to recognize employees who go over and above their normal duties. Although safety is everyone’s duty, many employees at Sanford Lab demonstrate above and beyond examples of the safety culture the ESH department hopes to cultivate.