The company Veris Gold USA, owner and operator of the Jerritt Canyon mine in Elko County, Nevada, is being the target of hard criticism by the assistant US secretary of labor.

Apparently the gold mine has failed to protect its workers after federal inspectors issued more than 60 citations and orders related to health and safety violations.

These 49 citations and 12 safety orders are currently subject to more than $200,000 in potential penalties. According to RGJ.com, the violations at the mine, which employs 120 workers, include blocked emergency escape routes, faulty pressure relief valves and improperly stored hazardous chemicals.

This mine and the Hanover Resources LLC’s Caymus Mine in West Virginia are among the 13 North-American mines that received a total of 135 citations and 24 orders resulting from inspections in December, said Joseph Main, assistant labor secretary for mine safety and health:

These two examples clearly indicate that some mine operators still don’t get it. They simply failed to comply with the Mine Act, and find and fix hazards to protect miners from injury, illness and death.

The Canadian company Veris Gold took over operations at the Nevada-based mine in 2003. Since then the mining administration has proposed $2.2 million in fines, but Veris Gold has only paid about $1.3 million of that value.

Images from Veris Gold