Vale working to comply with ministry orders

Vale says it's working to comply with 41 orders issued by the Ministry of Labour after inspections of the company's Stobie Mine Oct. 17 and 18.

“We will continue to co-operate with the Ministry as well as our Joint Health and Safety Committee at Stobie to correct any conditions that require attention,” Vale spokesperson Angie Robson said in an email statement.

Ministry of Labour spokesperson William Lin said a number of orders were complied with during the inspector's visits, and some have been complied with since.

“Some orders were issued with time compliance dates in the near future,” he said.
In many cases, the orders are related to an accumulation of water in various levels of the mine.

The company is currently facing charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act after the 2011 deaths of Jordan Fram and Jason Chenier at Stobie Mine.

Many of these charges also relate to the accumulation of water in the mine. A report put out last winter by Steelworkers Local 6500 said an excess of water was one of the factors that led to the run of muck which caused the miners' deaths.
Robson said Stobie Mine, at its very nature, is known as a “wet” mine, with water naturally occurring in many areas.

“We are continuing to implement the more than 30 recommendations developed in the wake of the tragic fatalities in June 2011, which are aimed at enhancing controls in various areas, including water management,” she said.

Jodi Blasutti, co-vice-chair of Mining Inquiry Needs Everyone’s Support (MINES), a group pushing for an inquiry into mining practices in Ontario, said in a recent letter to the editor that excess water in mines can be deadly.

She said many hours and dollars go into highly technical aspects of mining such as rock mechanics, “but the most basic and everyday task of adding water to an ore pass is still yet uncontrolled and unscientific.”