Kennecott employee safe after 300-foot rockslide


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BINGHAM CANYON — A truck operator was unharmed after the truck he was in slid 300 feet down a gravel slope in Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine.

The mine experienced a "dump failure" around 10:15 p.m. Sunday night, according to senior communications advisor Kyle Bennett. A "dump" is a pile of dirt and rock from which all useable metal has been extracted; the failure of a dump looks similar to a rockslide.

Sunday's collapse launched a minor slide, carrying an active haul truck nearly 300 feet. The truck's driver was removed from the truck with minor bruises before being assessed by Kennecott's onsite emergency response team.

Bennett credits the operator's safe recovery to his seat belt.

"Kennecott is an organization committed to zero harm," he said in an email. "It is mandatory to wear seat belts in our vehicles and on our property. This incident highlights the importance of seat belts."

The collapsed bench was a year old when it failed — one of the newest in the mine. The cause of the failure was not known, although Kennecott is investigating. Bennett said the incident was unrelated to the mine's 2013 landslide.

The site of the slide was closed for investigation. No employees will work in that location until the investigation is completed and subsequent repairs are made.

Email: aoligschlaeger@deseretnews.com

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Allison Oligschlaeger

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