BY KEITH LACEY
A freak accident caused the death of a surveyor killed on Inco Ltd. property near Levack 28 months ago.
A two-day coroner?s inquest into the death of Johnathan Davis, 28, wrapped up Thursday.
The jury made only one recommendation. It recommended the surveying industry make the wearing of a climbing helmet mandatory when the work
environment involves being out in the field where hazardous falls could take place.
An inquest is mandatory in all mine-related deaths in Ontario.
Davis was a geophysical technologist working for Quantec GeoScience Inc. of Timmins.
The evidence indicated Davis died after he accidentally slipped from a rock outcrop on a rainy day, fell backwards and struck his head on a rock.
A forensic toxocologist testified Thursday Davis had likely smoked one joint of marijuana during his shift, likely ?two to three hours? before the
accident took place.
Blood samples taken indicated the THC level in the deceased?s blood ?was not trivial or trace.? But the readings were also not extreme and the
toxocologist could not determine if it caused impairment or contributed in any way to his fall.
THC is the active ingredient in marijuana and can cause impairment, but it?s a ?very complex? drug that affects every person differently depending on tolerance, experience, body weight and other factors, said Dr. Randall Warren.
There?s no way to determine the effects on Davis the day he died, said Randall.
Quantec has a ?zero tolerance? policy for using alcohol and/or drugs on the job. Employees are aware of the policy and it is enforced at all times, said Quantec supervisor Kevin Blackshaw.
He picked up Davis before his shift and didn?t notice any signs of impairment , said Blackshaw.
Davis was part of a 14-member crew conducting surveying work on Inco property on Coleman Mine Road north of Levack when he was found unconscious by co-workers on a wet, rainy afternoon June 15, 2002.
Davis had worked for Quantec for two years. Quantec was hired by FNX Mining, an Inco sub-contractor.
The jury heard Davis had been retrieving a large section of electrical cable near the top of a steep, rocky ravine as part of his surveying crew.
When Blackshaw tried to contact him by radio, there was no answer. Blackshaw climbed to the top of the steep embankment and found Davis lying
unconscious. His hard hat was full of blood and there were obvious signs of trauma to the back of his head, said Blackshaw.
Regional coroner Dr. Raymond Sawkiw, who presided over the inquest, arrived on the scene and pronounced death.
All employees hired by Quantec are given a safety manual and Inco regularly held safety meetings and discussed regulations, often site-specific, said Blackshaw.
Surveyors would not normally wear hard hats while surveying, but Inco officials made them mandatory for this job, he said.
Since the accident, all Quantec employees now must wear head gear similar to what hikers and search and rescue workers wear out in the bush, said Blackshaw.
The helmets provide protection to the entire head, are lightweight and have several holes to allow for free air flow, he said.
