Ministry of Labour targeted mobile equipment in surface and underground mines
Ontario Ministry of Labour inspectors issued 195 orders — including 23 stop-work orders — during a blitz that targeted mobile equipment such as trucks, tractors, scoop trams and drilling equipment in surface and underground mines.
The 30-day blitz ran in June, but the ministry just recently released the statistics. Inspectors made a total of 157 field visits as part of the blitz.
The goal was to check for compliance with requirements that mobile equipment be inspected and maintained in good condition, tested for emissions and that operators were properly trained. Inspectors also checked that power sources to equipment were disconnected and couldn’t be reactivated while work was being done on equipment.
Fires and incidents involving mobile equipment continue to result in critical injuries and deaths involving workers in surface and underground mining operations, the ministry said.
More than one-fifth of the orders were related to equipment that was not in safe working condition.
Hazards included poor condition of equipment, safety devices missing or not working, equipment not locked out and tagged, and equipment with missing or removed protective guards.
More on the blitz
The mobile equipment blitz focused on:
•operational condition of equipment
•equipment maintenance (with reference to manufacturer’s recommendations and the conditions of use)
•performance of required emissions tests
•operators’ training
•performance of pre-operational checks.
Inspectors visited projects within all the mining sub-sectors, including:
•underground mines
•quarries
•open pits
•diamond drills
•surface plants
•smelters
•refineries
Order analysis
Of the orders issued, 11 per cent were stop work orders for mobile equipment that failed to meet the requirements of the legislation and were a danger or hazard to the health or safety of a worker.
Top 3 categories for orders
The top three categories for orders were:
•Motor vehicles – 21.4 per cent (Sections 105 to 107 of the Mining Regulation)
•General duties of employers, supervisors and workers – 21 per cent (Sections 25 to 28 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act), and
•Equipment that failed to meet the legislation’s requirements – 11 per cent (Section 57(6) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act)
The top three sub-sectors visited by inspectors were:
•open pits with 77 visits
•quarries with 33 visits
•underground mines with 12 visits
Next step
The ministry said it will continue to focus its resources on mobile equipment hazards during routine workplace inspections of Ontario’s mines. Inspectors will check for compliance with requirements that:
•mobile equipment be maintained in a safe operating condition
•employers provide safe workplaces in both surface and underground mining operations.
The ministry will continue to raise awareness of mobile equipment hazards. Future enforcement may feature aspects of the mobile equipment hazards blitz or a similar blitz may be held.
