By Taylor Johnson

August 18, 2019 - Miners with Sunrise Coal in Oaktown, Indiana took part in annual refresher training at Vincennes University’s fort branch building.

Close to 200 miners took the 8-hour course, with topics ranging from first aid to evacuations. 

The classes were taught by instructors from the university along with qualified instructors with Sunrise Coal.

The building where the training took place includes a simulated mine useful for training purposes.

The annual training is required by the mine safety and health administration due to the safety concerns associated with underground mining.

With it being underground, just the inherent safety concerns that you have that you wouldn’t have on the surface, you have roof conditions, you have methane, oxygen ventilation systems, you have to have that in place, there’s a lot of things in an underground coalmine that you wouldn’t see every day on the surface,” said Kevin Hills, Mining director, Vincennes University.

The simulated mine process began in 2014 under the previous mining director and cost $2.4 million.