The Greater Sudbury Police Service have announced that 36-year-old Paul Rochette of Sudbury was the Vale employee killed in an incident at the company’s Copper Cliff operations, April 6.
A second worker was seriously injured and remains in hospital.
Sudbury Police and the Ministry of Labour are continuing their investigation.
According to early information, Rochette, a mechanic at Vale's smelter was killed when a pin from a crusher broke off and was released under high pressure, said Rick Bertrand, president of United Steelworkers Local 6500.
Bertrand told Northern Life newspaper said he was devastated when he heard about the fatal accident that also injured a 28-year-old industrial mechanic at the smelter.
“It's just unbelievable to get a phone call again,” he said. “This is four fatalities in less than three years.”
The United Steelworkers will investigate the incident, and Bertrand said he hopes they can find answers to ensure future fatalities do not occur. He said the union has not yet decided if it will conduct its own investigation, or collaborate with Vale on their own investigation.
Following the deaths of Jordan Fram and Jason Chenier in 2011, Vale and the Steelworkers conducted their own investigations into the run of muck that claimed the workers lives at Stobie Mine.
This recent fatal incident happened days after public consultations for the Ministry of Labour's review into mining health and safety concluded in Sudbury.
Bertrand said the fatal incident Sunday evening highlights the importance of the review.
