In June 1984, a tragic accident occurred. A seismic event struck northeastern Ontario, resulting in an utterly devastating collapse at Falconbridge Mine.
Four miners, members of Mine Mill Local 598, lost their lives. Sulo Korpela, Richard Chenier and Daniel Lavallee were killed instantly; Wayne St. Michel remained trapped below the surface. Rescue workers worked diligently trying to save St. Michel, digging through the rock with their bare hands. They established voice contact with the miner, but he died minutes before he could be freed.
The following year, the first Workers Memorial Day was held, to honour the four men lost in this terrible tragedy. This June 20th marks the 37th anniversary.
The annual event is a benchmark and a time to reflect, says past Mine Mill president Rick Grylls.
Grylls had been working with his partner, Joe, putting electric power into the new stope. On Monday, June 18th, he started a new position, moving from the mine site to the union office, as the newly elected financial secretary. His third day in that role, the accident occurred; it happened in the stope, where he had worked just the week before.
He knew two of the workers, Sulo and Wayne, well. “It was heartbreaking,” says Grylls. “Wayne St. Michel lived for 27 hours and the city—the world—watched the heroic efforts to get him out. When he died, a piece of us all died.”
Grylls immediately took the lead in creating Workers' Memorial Day in 1985. “We had to do something about it,” he says.
Trevor Stevenson led an inquiry into the event. He commended the skill and bravery of the rescue workers and his findings changed the way mining is done in Canada. It introduced seismic monitoring and different ways of planning and securing the site.
“It still brings emotion back,” says Grylls. “We hold this event yearly to develop a consciousness about health and safety, awareness of your workplace, and striving to do things better and safer. Without awareness, change and reflection on the past, we can’t change the future.”
A mine is a dangerous workplace. The goal is to keep your mind and your attitude always “on”. There are moving vehicles and equipment, explosives and lots of machinery. Workers have to be very conscious of their environment.
Grylls has long served on health and safety standing committees and union committees, working to improve the workplace. While initially a health and safety week was created, over time it turned into a full month.
“One of the reasons we found that accidents went up in June was because of the increase in daylight hours. People were up later, they were more active, and they were going to work maybe not as rested as they would be in winter months,” explains Grylls.
Accidents happen when people are unaware of their surroundings, when they’re distracted, tired or not paying attention. When you’re on the job, you have to make sure you’re doing absolutely everything to the best of your abilities. You need to be aware of everything around you to make safe decisions, he advises.
Grylls is heartened by the improvements he’s seen. “The deaths in the mines have decreased, as have the number of pollutants in the workplace,” he says. “Things can change.”
The 37th annual Mine Mill and Smelter Workers Memorial Day takes place Sunday, June 20, 2021 at 9:30 am. For more information, visit www.minemill598.com.