Ontario’s mining industry met its zero fatality objective in 2016.
"We are encouraged by this record of continual improvement in health and safety performance,” said Ontario Mining Association president Chris Hodgson. “It validates our belief that any workplace injury is preventable. We are determined to make Ontario's mines the safest and most innovative in the world. This latest achievement confirms the value of our safety initiatives and partnerships in moving us toward this target."
One such initiative was the Ministry-led Mining Health, Safety and Prevention Review, which produced a series of recommendations that are successfully driving progress toward zero harm. The review focused on risk assessment, water management, ground control, hazards management, emergency response, and the Internal Responsibility System.
According to Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), the 2015 lost time injury (LTI) average rate for 2015 Schedule 1 employers was 0.85, down from 0.92 in 2014. Of 16 industry sectors, seven sectors were above this rate and nine were below. In 2015, the mining industry recorded an LTI average rate of 0.63 - down from 0.64 in 2014. In 2002, the Ontario mining industry’s LTI rate was 1.81.
