Standards address deep-mining concerns.

New hoisting standards for deep mining and smelter training in Ontario will make the Ontario mining industry both safer and more competitive, according to an Ontario Labour Ministry spokesperson.

"Adopting these standards will allow us to hoist in deep mines like in South Africa," says Bernie Deck, mining co-ordinator for the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

Canada, he says, is one of the few countries besides South Africa with deep mines. Several deep mines in Ontario will soon reach below 8,000 feet (2,500 metres). South Africa operates the deepest mines in the world, at 10,000 to 13,000 feet (3,000 to 4,000 metres). Anglogold's Western Deep Levels mine in South Africa is the world's deepest mine at 12,300 feet (3,777 metres).

At the present time, Ontario operates close to 60 hoisting plants.

The changes, says Deck, are partly in response to concerns in the mining market.

"We're seeing that shallow ore bodies are disappearing quite quickly," he says.

The wave of the future, he believes, will be in exploring for, and exploiting, deeper and deeper mines.

The standards, which provide more stringent regulations on the forces causing dynamic stress on hoisting ropes and tougher monitoring of the skip load, amend existing labour regulations affecting the Ontario mining industry. The changes were recommended by the province's mining legislative review committee, which consists of representatives from the mining industry and organized labour. The Ministry of Labour facilitated the discussions.

Deck says that the most impressive part of the discussions was the level of maturity and co-operation displayed by both industry and labour. Major mining unions like the United Steelworkers of America, he contends, are very pragmatic and realistic in their demands, as are the main industry players, who claim there is a connection between a safer workplace and productivity.

"Unions have a job to do, but they have an interest in seeing the mine survive. They don't want to put them out of business," he asserts.

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Governments at both the federal and provincial levels have been concerned about mining safety since the revelation in the 1970's that on-the-job accidents were becoming more common and workers were being severely injured and killed. Since then, the number of injuries has been reduced, claim analysts with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). However, the nature of mining industry accidents makes them more serious, says Deck.

"The problem with mining is that, when you do get injured, you're off work for a longer period of time because the injuries are usually more serious."

The legislated amendments, however, will not just affect deep mining. More rigorous standards for smelter workers will also be put in place to mirror accreditation standards that already exist in other areas of mining and heavy industry. Smelter workers are exposed to many hazards, most notably smelting furnaces and hot metals. The new regulations will require them to be proficient in several tasks related to safety before they receive their accreditation. The tasks relate to observing the workplace for potential hazards at the beginning of a shift and the proper use of tools.

www.gov.on.ca/LAB/english/index.html

BY JOSEPH QUESNEL 

Northern Ontario Business