SAFETY: Long-awaited Ontario mine safety review released

ONTARIO – The Ontario government's long-awaited Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review was officially released this morning, April 15, 2015, in Sudbury. It was released by provincial labour minister Kevin Flynn.

ONTARIO – The Ontario government's long-awaited Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review was officially released this morning, April 15, 2015, in Sudbury. It was released by provincial labour minister Kevin Flynn.

Calls for the review came after the 2011 deaths of Jordan Fram and Jason Chenier, who were killed in an unanticipated run of muck in Vale's Stobie mine.

The review made recommendations pertaining to six key issues.

Health and Safety Hazards: The ministry of labour will conduct a risk assessment with employers and labour every three years. Employer risk assessments should be done as often as necessary in consultation with joint health and safety committees, safety representatives or workers. The ministry will focus grants and research on the topics identified by the review. Employers should address identified priority hazards, including ground control, occupational illness, standing water, and to create formals water and traffic management plans.

New Technologies and Management of Change Process: Employers should establish and implement a written management change procedure, again in consultation with workers and safety representatives, that will be used when new technologies are implemented underground.

Emergency Preparedness and Mine Rescue: Mining companies should establish emergency response plans for exploration sites, new mines, open pits, and processing plants. Workplace Safety North is charged with revising the Mine Rescue Handbook to include guidelines for fitness of crew members, critical incident stress management, and acclimatization of emergency responders. The ministry of labour will work with stakeholders to develop recommendations regarding the responsibilities of mine rescue crews and mine owners and employers during emergencies.

Training, Skills and Labour Supply Issues: Supervisor and management training should be enhanced through the Mining Tripartite Committee and the Common Core curriculum. The committee is also to development prerequisites for supervisor training within the Common Core. The Common Core itself should be evaluated on how well it prepares mine workers and to identify circumstances where refresher training may be appropriate.

Capacity of the Occupational Health and Safety System: The ministry of labour and the relevant health and safety associations should increase their abilities to deal with mining hazards by adding expertise in geotechnical, mining, mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering as well as industrial hygiene. The ministry will review and revise all its policies and procedures that apply to mining inspectors. The health and safety system's ability to meet the needs of the mining sector, particularly in report communities, will be reviewed by the ministry. The ministry of labour and the ministry of community safety and correctional services will work together to enhance the information supplied to the chief coroner's office.

Internal Responsibility System: To help improve the internal responsibility system, the review recommends that the Ontario Mining Association work with labour representatives to develop a best practices guide in this area. All participants in the health and safety system should share information on emerging trends as well as serious injuries in the hope of preventing future incidents.

Besides its major recommendations, the review calls for an assessment of the Occupational Health and Safety Act to ensure it meets today's needs in Ontario workplaces. The database on occupational illness led by the Ontario Cancer Research Centre should be expanded beyond its current scope. The review panel would also like to see a study of the role of alcohol and drugs in workplace incidents.

The final report of the Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review panel can be read as either a HTML or PDF document on the Ministry of Labour website.

Editor's note: An inquest into the deaths of Fram and Chenier is scheduled to being on Monday, April 20. The inquest will be headed by former regional supervising coroner Dr. David Eden.

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