In the wake of recent amendments to the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) regarding the mining sector, the provincial Mining Legislative Review Committee has formed four new subcommittees to deal with the industry’s safety hazards.
As announced in a Jan. 3 press release from Workplace Safety North (WSN), which is a nonprofit organization that provides oh&s training and resources for northern Ontario industries, these subcommittees will focus on ground control, traffic management, water management and ventilation/industrial hygiene respectively. A hoisting subcommittee that already existed will continue to function, the release added.
“The reason for the change is to allow for the Review Committee to better align its resources and efforts with the priority health and safety hazards in the Ontario mining sector,” Bob Barclay, the provincial coordinator for mining with the province’s Ministry of Labour (MOL), said in a media statement. “These priority health and safety hazards were identified in the Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review, which was completed in 2015.”
The Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review made 18 recommendations to improve employee safety in the mining sector (COHSN, April 21, 2015). The MOL immediately accepted all of the recommendations, which included mandatory risk assessments by employers, mandatory water-management programs and formal traffic-management plans for mines.
“With the reorganization of the subcommittees, the Review Committee will become more focused, thereby allowing it to provide more information to the MOL,” added Barclay, “which we expect will result in health and safety improvements in the mining sector.
“These improvements may include regulatory changes, improved guidance for stakeholders and better health and safety knowledge.”
The subcommittee announcement came two days after a series of amendments to Regulation 854, the section of the OHSA regarding mines and mining plants, went into effect. The Jan. 1 changes to the Act require employers to assess and manage safety hazards, mine owners to develop water-management programs, employers to maintain traffic management and all seismic events to be recorded.
“Risk assessments are the building blocks for successful health and safety management systems,” WSN mining director Mike Parent said in a statement about the new laws. “Due to the levels of risk water impoundment and traffic bring to a mine, it’s important to conduct risk assessments, as they are essential in the development, implementation and maintenance of management programs for these hazards.”
Parent added that WSN offers onsite hazard-assessment services to help employers meet the updated requirements. “Our mining health and safety specialists include experts in ventilation, ground control and industrial hygiene, so we encourage companies to take advantage of this service.
“Everyone has a role to play, from frontline workers to health and safety committee members to management. That’s why it’s important for all levels to learn about the updated regulation.”