Fatality Rate (per 100)            0.022               0.019               15.8% decrease

Lost-time Injury Rate             2.43                 2.33                 4.3% decrease

Total Incidence Rate               3.64                 3.42                 6.4% decrease

Source: MSHA

Texas quarry becomes outdoor classroom

KBDJ, a limestone quarry in Hays County, Texas, became an outdoor classroom for more than 100 fourth graders.

Two busloads of students from the local Highland Park Elementary School visited the quarry for lessons in geology, mining, aquifer protection, and habitat preservation.

During her introduction, KBDJ President Jill Shackelford told the students that she hoped that they would be able to see what they traditionally learned in the classroom put into practice.

One fourth grader volunteered to help start off the lesson by making “asphalt” treats. The boy stirred together a mixture of crisp rice cereal, sugar, and corn syrup, representing limestone aggregates, sand, and asphalt, respectively. He then smoothed the mixture with a roller and showed his classmates how it hardened as it bound together, similar to the way asphalt solidifies under heat.

Another student noted, “Rocks are important because they can make it so you don’t have to drive on dirt roads. You can have concrete and asphalt, which are made from rocks.”