SAFETY: MINES wants investigation into Ontario mining safety

ONTARIO – A citizen group calling itself MINES (Mining Inquiry Needs Everyone's Support) in Sudbury is trying to garner popular support to persuade the government to call an inquiry into mine safety in the province. The committee wants to protect people working in the mining industry and to prevent further fatalities.

The group notes that no public review or update of the Ontario Mining Health and Safety Act has occurred in over 30 years, and that changes in workplace safety have not kept up with changes in technology. To emphasize the point, MINES says there have been eight deaths in Ontario mines since 2011. A review of relevant legislation and criminal liability in the workplace should be conducted.

The mining workplace is much changed in recent years as ownership of the sector becomes globalized and environmental issues from mining and processing are recognized as playing a part in workplace disease and community health.

The next information session is planned for Timmins on March 24, 2013. Contact Briana Fram, secretary-treasurer, MINES Committee, 705-562-5940, OntarioMiningInquiry@gmail.com

Safety-minded readers will be pleased to know that the April 2013 issue of Canadian Mining Journal will feature mining safety.