Mining Feature: Dust Control Researcher Honored with Career Achievement Award

Monday, October 5, 2020

Principal supervisory mining engineer Andy Cecala was recently honored with the Industrial Minerals Association-North America’s IMA-NA Career Achievement Award for his four decades of service to the mining industry. Cecala received the award in a virtual ceremony, recognizing his tireless efforts to improve miners’ health and safety.

During the ceremony, association president Mark Ellis praised Cecala for “serving the federal government and our nation’s miners through the consistent development, testing, and dissemination of engineering control and assessment technologies for the mining industry.”

Ellis noted many of Cecala’s efforts, including his work on both editions of the Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing, and his lead role in developing the Helmet-CAM system that uses the EVADE software to identify worksite areas or tasks with elevated dust exposure.

To maintain the element of surprise concerning the award, Ellis and IMA-NA’s staff worked with Cecala’s wife, Sue, who presented her husband with the award in real time during the online meeting.