The Ministry of Labour has laid two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act against Falconbridge Ltd. relating to the death one year ago of Kevin Payette.
 |
The 35-year-old Timmins man was pinned by a chute gate at the Fraser Mine in Onaping July 28 during a blasting procedure to clear some hung up ore. The man died later in hospital.
Charges against Falconbridge include failure to ensure proper workplace procedures were carried out and failure to provide instruction and supervision to a worker.
Meanwhile Inco faces five charges relating to a separate death. A 46-year-old supervisor died July 27, 2001, following an outside explosion at the Copper Cliff nickel refinery.
Gordon Heffern was transported to a Buffalo hospital burn unit but succumbed to his injuries.
Inco is charged with two counts of failure to take reasonable precautions for protection of a worker, failure to inform a worker or person of authority about a workplace hazard, failure to ensure equipment is maintained in good order and failure to provide instruction, supervision and information.
Heffern and others were working on an oxygen pipeline valve.
Inco and Falconbridge representatives are scheduled to appear in provincial offences court Sept. 6.
In addition to the charges coronerÂ?s inquests will also be held. Such probes are mandatory in mining industry deaths.
No announcement on dates has yet been made.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)