Mine manager Anthony Valente, employed by mining company R J Valente Gravel, was sentenced to six months in prison in mid-April and five years of probation for his reckless disregard and override of safety features in a crane he was operating in Grafton, NY. That behavior led to the death of 35-year-old Darren Miller, a mechanic, who was struck by the crane’s overhaul hook ball when Valente was lowering a replacement engine into a haul truck. Valente was operating a damaged crane, ignoring the fact that it had been tagged “out of service” in previous inspections. The company itself was also cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration. Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly said, “This case should serve as a reminder to those who profit from the mining industry that a failure to maintain safe conditions for all employees may result in criminal prosecution.”
Read the full story by U.S. Department of Labor News, published here: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/sol/sol2024041
