The coroner's inquest into the death of Chad Lamond wrapped up yesterday.
Lamond, 20, was employed by Moran Mining and Tunneling, which was doing contract work at CVRD Inco's Creighton Mine, when he fell off a work platform and plunged more than 700 feet down a shaft, March 7, 2002.
In addition to determining how the accident happened, the inquest served to improve the safety of miners to prevent such accidents from ever happening again.
After listening to the accounts of the seven witnesses, which included co-workers, mining professionals and the police officers involved in the investigation and autopsy, the three women and two men who made up the jury were asked to develop recommendations that would prevent other deaths in similar circumstances.
The jury agreed the most important step to take was to develop and implement a warning system that sent out audible and/or visible alerts to workers that they, or their co-workers, were not properly tied to the fall arrest. The warning system would be applicable in all industries where falling is a hazard.
Other recommendations included increased lighting in and around the work site, real life height awareness training, and development of an adjustable plug to allow for more coverage of the open hole.
The jury also suggested miner safety could be heightened by the installation of camera systems located in areas where supervisors are not able to arrive unannounced, and enforcement of disciplinary measures if workers were found not to be in compliance with the set safety protocols.
The final recommendation was for the development of educational programs where safety is paramount above all else.
