SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld penalties against a mining company for regulatory violations in a 2009 New Mexico accident that severely injured a worker.
A three-judge panel of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday affirmed $66,000 in civil penalties imposed against Mainline Rock and Ballast, Inc. by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
A miner at the company's quarry near Encino in Torrance County was injured after getting caught in a conveyor.
The federal agency penalized the company for not having a protective guard around certain moving parts of the conveyor and for failing to quickly report the accident.
The miner suffered permanent damage to his kidneys, and spent two and a half months in the hospital recovering from internal injuries and broken bones.