Training, refresher courses set for miners

Two training and refresher courses for local miners are scheduled during the next three weeks at Rend Lake College at Ina.

The annual refresher training for surface and underground miners class is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, for the surface-only and underground portions. The cost of the class is $30.

The one-day training course will fulfill the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s requirements for eight hours of annual retraining for anyone working in a coal mine. Safety and first aid will be among the topics covered.

Inexperienced miner training for surface and underground miners is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 20, through Thursday, June 23, and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 24.

The cost of the class is $165 and participants must preregister. Those registered must cancel three days prior to the start of class to receive a refund.

After the training is complete, students will receive federal certification which will allow them to be employed at many surface or underground mines (Form 5000-23).

All training courses will be held in the Rend Lake College Coal Mine Training Center on the Ina campus. For more information or to register, contact Joy Fitts at 618-437-5321, extension, 1261 or Sally Heathcoat at extension 2373.