Numerous orders issued to employer
A Thunder Bay company, Lac Des Iles Mines, has been fined $365,000 after a worker was killed instantly and another trapped and injured in separate incidents in 2014.
While operating a scoop tram, the worker was struck and crushed by a run of muck and rock. He was found dead about 6.75 metres ahead of the "safe-limit line," also known as "no-go line" painted on the wall.
It is not known why the worker was ahead of the line.
According to the Ministry of Labour, numerous orders were issued to the employer to ensure written safety precautions and procedures were established and used during and after removal of material.
The employer had developed a written policy that no worker was to cross the safe-limit line without the permission of a supervisor.
The employer was found guilty of failing to ensure that written safety precautions and procedures were established and failing to prevent a worker from being outside of a loader while ahead of the safe-limit line.
Earlier in the year, another worker was injured while working above ground, loading mine haulage trucks with an excavator. Equipment failure caused a large amount of material onto the excavator, crushing the operator's cab and trapping the worker. It took two hours to extricate the worker, who suffered hand and leg injuries.
The employer was found guilty of not ensuring a stockpile of material was safe to work with and fined $65,000.
A 25 per cent victim surcharge has also been imposed by the court and is to be credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime.
