A worker who died on Vale property in Copper Cliff Aug. 24 was working for the contractor Ontime Labour Supply Inc., the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development says.
According to its website, Ontime Labour Supply Inc. provides “skilled and trained employees for industrial, mining and environmental companies” in Greater Sudbury.
An emailed statement sent to Sudbury.com from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MLTSD) earlier this week said the ministry was notified Tuesday of the worker’s death at Vale’s Matte Processing Plant in Copper Cliff.
“It was reported a worker was found unresponsive,” the ministry’s statement said. “There is no confirmed cause of death at this time. An MLTSD inspector attended the workplace and the investigation is ongoing.”
Vale said in a statement Tuesday night that the contractor had passed away at the Fluid Bed Roaster Baghouse of Vale’s Matte Processing facility in Copper Cliff.
The cause of death was unknown.
Greater Sudbury Police Services and representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Labour were investigating at the scene.
The name of the employee is being withheld out of respect for the family, said the company. Vale offered the services of its Critical Incident Stress Management Team to the employees and contractors that were working in the area, as well as the Vale employees that responded to the scene.
“Our thoughts are with the family, co-workers and friends of this individual,” said Dino Otranto, chief operating officer of Vale’s North Atlantic Operations, in the Tuesday press release.
“We are doing everything we can to support them and to better understand what happened during this incident.”
The incident investigation is being led by Greater Sudbury Police Services, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, representatives of Vale and the contracted companies involved.
Sudbury.com reached out to Vale Friday for any updates, but a spokesperson said the company has nothing further to share at this time.