THUNDER BAY — The jury in the coroner's inquest into a 2015 mining fatality in northwestern Ontario has issued three recommendations to the Ministry of Labour aimed at reducing the risk of future tragedies underground.
Its conclusions were released following a four-day inquest last week into the death of Jose Amaral, 49, at Goldcorp's Musselwhite mine in November 2015.
The father of three, who was born and raised in Manitouwadge, was fatally injured after a rockfall occurred while he was operating a scoop, leaving the machine completely covered in debris.
He sustained blunt force trauma to his head and neck.
The jury called on the labour ministry to review and consider whether it should change its regulations and impose a renewal requirement for miners who have received their mandatory Common Core Underground Certification.
It also recommended that the ministry consider amending two sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
One amendment would impose controls to prevent an occupied scoop from crossing the "no person" threshold in an underground mine while broken rock is being removed in an unsupported tunnel.
Another amendment would require a supervisor to visit a production miner removing rock from a pile in an underground mine once per shift.
Amaral had worked at the Musselwhite mine for four years but also had previous mining experience in two other locations.
Musselwhite is a fly-in, fly-out operation located about 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
— TBNewswatch
