16 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com
W
hen two Saskatchewan
potash miners encountered
a fire early one Sunday
morning in 2006, their fi rst thought
was to contact the surface dispatcher.
But the fi re had caused a power outage
and shut down all phones. The miners
retreated to a refuge station, or safe
room, and erected shields to keep
smoke and fi re gases away from the
area outside the station.
Eventually, other workers called the
dispatcher, who initiated emergency
notifi cation. On the Monday morning,
emergency response teams found all
72 underground workers safe in refuge
stations throughout the mine and led
them to the surface.
Managers in all industries must
devote some time and effort preparing
for emergencies. In the mining indus-
try it's part of day-to-day operations.
Miners must know how to safeguard
themselves and always be on the alert.
Indeed, where hazards are extreme
and the environment allows no easy
escape, everyone needs to know the
emergency response plan inside and
out to prevent possible disaster.
Alex Gryska, general manager of
mine rescue at Workplace Safety
North (WSN) in Sudbury, Ont.,
which is responsible for providing
mine rescue support for the province's
40 underground mines, says a good
rescue plan specifi es exactly what is
to happen in an emergency and what
actions supervisors, workers and the
employer will perform.
"The emergency plan will break
down the roles and responsibilities of
everyone. So everything is well-struc-
tured and spelled out. If it's not spelled
out that way, there's weakness in the
plan," he says.
Saskatoon-based Cameco oper-
ates four uranium mines in northern
Saskatchewan. The company adheres
to provincial regulations, is sub-
ject to the rules of the Canadian
Nuclear Commission and also sets
its own standards, says Wayne Sum-
mach, program manager, emergency
preparedness and security. Where
most mines require two rescue teams
(usually composed of fi ve volunteers)
on site at all times, Cameco requires
at least three.
"If a team of fi ve goes underground,
we need fi ve at the ready for backup
if something goes wrong. And for us,
because we are remote, we also have
an additional fi ve on standby. So we
maintain a minimum requirement of
15 on-site," says Summach.
Supervisors receive training in emer-
gency rescue both from the province
and from Cameco.
Miners must be ready to conduct
a rescue operation at any time
FROM
UNDER
By Linda Johnson
FROM
UNDER
UP
