Joint [Vale/union] investigation preferable in accidents – Editorial by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – February 1, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The tragedy of death underground has revisited Sudbury in a manner that leaves all of us asking how this could happen again at a company that has more than 100 years of experience in mining.

Stephen Perry, 47, a 16-year miner at Vale, died at the 4,215-foot level at Coleman Mine in Levack on Sunday after he was struck by loose rock while he was working at a development heading.

The incident happened just days after Vale officials presented their findings about the deaths in June of two miners, Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram, after they were overcome by 350 tonnes of muck and sand while they were working at the 3,000-foot level of Stobie Mine.

Vale has suspended all five of its underground mining operations, affecting more than 1,500 workers, in order to come up with plans to ensure a safe working environment.

Xstrata, another local mining company, also had a “safety pause” for several days in November affecting 550 workers after an increase in injuries at its two mines.

This has left the entire community wondering what is going on.

Accidents happen everywhere, but mining in particular is an unforgiving environment. When something happens underground in isolated working environments at close quarters and with huge equipment, it can too often be devastating.

Yet just last July, Vale officials noted one of its Sudbury mines had been named the safest in Canada for six consecutive years. So why are we seeing more tragedies underground?

It’s unclear whether Vale and the United Steelworkers Local 6500 will conduct a joint investigation into Perry’s death. In such incidents, that is the normal course of action, along with investigations by the Ministry of Labour and the police.

But in the case of Chenier and Fram, Vale and the union could not agree on how to conduct the investigation. That left the company presenting its findings Jan. 24 with no comment from the union. The company’s findings were essentially inconclusive, but it also left many questions. We’ll find out shortly what the union has determined. But this leaves the community wondering what to think about two separate investigations. Where are the answers for a safe working environment? Will each side acknowledge the other’s concerns?
It’s preferable for the company and the union to work together to determine the causes of incidents — there are often several — and to come up with a plan to address them.

In September, Vale announced it was hiring 60 underground miners as it invested $3.4 billion in local operations.

These miners, and their colleagues who have worked underground for years, deserve the safest mining environment on the planet. There is no reason for less.

— Brian MacLeod