Inquest recommends change in Macassa mining method

Governments and the mining industry should consider providing miners with special locating devices, a coroner’s jury has recommended.

The jury conducted an inquest at Kirkland Lake, Ont., after miners Robert Sheldon, 36, and Leonce Verrier, 42, were killed last November by rockbursts — the result of a buildup of pressure — at the Macassa gold mine of Lac Minerals (TSE).

It took rescue crews two months to recover their bodies, which were trapped 2 km underground.

Canadian Press reports that the jury also called for the adoption of 21 recommendations made by committees set up after the accident. The committees said production at the mine should change to long-hole mining; currently, cut-and-fill stoping is employed.

The committees also said that supports capable of holding up to 5 tonnes of rock should be installed in the mine. About 85% of injuries are the result of bursts of fewer than five tonnes, the company said.

The mine will also begin using a remote-control load-haul-dump machine. Macassa, which has one of the deepest shafts in Canada, was temporarily closed after the rockbursts. It resumed production in May after changes were made to improve safety.

“We have a new approach, a new mentality and new team work,” said Mine Manager Rudi Rucker.

Prior to returning underground, all employees had to attend a 3-day course on new procedures, mining methods and up-to-date geological information on the mine. They also had to learn first-aid.