New regulations to make mining industry safer.

AuthorMigneault, Jonathan
PositionNEWS

The Ministry of Labour will enforce new regulations on Jan. 1 that Ontario's chief prevention officer expects will make underground mining safer across the province.

George Gritziotis, the province's chief prevention officer and chair of the 15-month Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review, was in Sudbury on June 8 to announce amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act's regulation 854, which covers mines and mining plants.

Gritziotis announced the amendments on the fifth anniversary of the June 8,2011 tragedy in Vale's Stobie Mine in Sudbury that killed Jordan Fram, 26, and Jason Chenier, 35.

Both men were killed in a run of muck at the 3,000-foot level.

Fram and Chenier's deaths prompted the Ministry of Labour's review of mining health and safety practices, thanks in part to a strong push from the United Steelworkers and the Mining Inquiry Needs Everyone's Support (MINES) group, which included Fram's mother Wendy Fram and sister Briana Fram as members.

In April 2015, the review made 18 recommendations to improve health and safety conditions in Ontario's underground mines.

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They included requiring employers to have formal water management programs to reduce hazards related to excess water in areas where miners are working; enhancing ground control protection to track and...

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