Yellowknife, NT (February 18, 2021) – On February 15, 2021, Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation appeared in the Nunavut Court of Justice and was sentenced for an offence under the Mine Health & Safety Act.
The mine pleaded guilty to violating section 2(2)(a) of the Mine Health and Safety Act and thereby committing an offence contrary to section 39(1)(b) of the Mine Health and Safety Act.
Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation was sentenced to fines totalling $170,000 (plus a 15% Victim Fine Surcharge) which is paid to the Workers’ Protection Fund.
The charge stems from an incident that occurred on December 16, 2018 in which a worker was fatally injured while operating heavy equipment at the Mary River Mine site, near the Hamlet of Pond Inlet, Nunavut.
In an Agreed Statement of Facts it was acknowledged that the incident was the result of a combination of factors, including speed, load weight, downhill gradient and a lack of training to operate the loaded equipment in the existing conditions at the mine. The training should have included instruction for operation of the equipment in the specific conditions at the mine.
Following the incident, all mine operations were shut down immediately and a report was made to the WSCC. Baffinland cooperated with the investigation and immediately implemented several interim orders that have remained in place following restart of the mine. Upon completion of Baffinland’s investigation into the incident, additional measures to improve worker safety at the worksite have been identified and put in place.
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Maggie Collins
Communications Manager
Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission Northwest Territories and Nunavut
T: (867) 920-3854
E: Maggie Collins