Overview

From May 10 to July 31, 2018, the Ministry of Labour (MOL) conducted a health and safety initiative, which focused on conveyor guarding in underground mines and mining plants. The initiative was organized in two phases.

During Phase 1, which ran from May 10 to May 31, the MOL worked with Workplace Safety North (WSN) to provide training and education to employers. The goal was to help employers comply with requirements for conveyor guarding under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations.

During Phase 2, which ran from June 1 to July 31, inspectors visited underground mines and mining plants to check that employers were complying with the OHSA and Regulation 854: Mines and Mining Plants. In particular, they checked that employers were making sure that:

  • moving parts and in-running pinch point hazards on conveyors had proper guarding devices to prevent worker exposure
  • conveyors were locked out and tagged when maintenance, repairs or other work was being performed (unless it’s necessary to run the conveyor during that work)
  • effective precautions were in place to protect workers if a conveyor could not be shut down during maintenance, repairs and other work
  • appropriate actions were taking place to assess and address hazards involving conveyor guarding devices and lockout procedures

From June 1 to July 31, 2018, Ministry of Labour inspectors:

  • conducted 106 field visits with 13 support role activitiesfootnote 1
  • visited 86 mining workplaces
  • issued 501 orders and requirements, including 30 stop work orders

The goals of this mining health and safety initiative were to:

  • raise awareness of conveyor guarding hazards
  • increase workplace compliance with the law
  • help to prevent injuries and illness that could arise from unsafe work practices

Conveyor guarding

Workers can be exposed to a number of hazards when conveyors are not properly guarded or locked out during maintenance, repairs or other work. Hazards can include workers being exposed to moving parts and in-running nip points on conveyors. Hazards can result in workers:

  • being caught up in head or tail pulleys
  • falling into tension or take-up pulleys
  • being pulled into return or carry rollers where the lift of the belt tightens over the roller

Between 2012 and 2017, one mine worker died and nine mine workers were seriously injured after being exposed to unguarded running conveyors.

Full report

Workplace inspection initiatives

Inspection initiatives are part of our Safe At Work Ontario compliance strategy. We announce to the sector, in advance, that we will be conducting an initiative, although individual workplaces are not notified in advance. The results of the short-term provincial initiative are typically posted online within 90 days. Inspectors’ findings may impact the number and level of future inspections of individual workplaces.

Inspectors may also refer employers to health and safety associations for compliance assistance and training.

Initiative Focus

Phase 1 of the multi-phase health and safety initiative took place in May 2018. During this phase, the MOL worked with Workplace Safety North (WSN) to provide training and education to help employers comply with requirements for conveyor guarding under the OHSA and its regulations.

On May 10, 2018, WSN facilitated a free webinar about the requirements for conveyor guarding. The two presenters—one from the MOL and one from WSN—covered topics such as the laws that apply to the workplace, conveyor operation hazards and controls, information and resources available from the WSN, what MOL mining inspectors would be looking for during field visits, and the province’s requirements for conveyor guarding in Regulation 854: Mines and Mining Plants. This joint MOL-WSN webinar was attended by 29 members of the mining community. The WSN published the PowerPoint presentation from the webinar online, as well as other information about conveyor guarding. The WSN then promoted their webpage via social media platforms to raise awareness of the initiative and the requirements for conveyor guarding at mines and mining plants.

During Phase 2 in June and July 2018, inspectors checked on specific safety issues at underground mines and mining plants in Ontario, such as:

  • Guarding: Inspectors checked that guards were in place at hazardous locations on conveyor belts, including the tail, head, drive, deflection and tension pulleys, and (where necessary) return rollers and carry rollers. They also checked that a fence, barricade or gate equipped with an interlocking device was in place and properly installed when guarding devices could not be used.
  • Measures and procedures: Inspectors checked that effective precautions were in place to protect workers who were required to perform repairs, adjustments or maintenance on conveyors that were running.
  • Worker training: Inspectors checked that workers had been trained on how to lockout and tag conveyors, as well as how to perform maintenance if the conveyor is running.

Inspectors took appropriate action if violations were found under the OHSA or its regulations. This included:

  • writing orders to employers, supervisors and workers to have them comply with legal requirements
  • issuing stop work orders requiring employers to comply before work could continue

Inspection activity summary

Visits to workplaces

  • 106 field visits with 13 support role activities
  • 86 workplaces visited
  • 501 orders and requirements issued
    • 494 orders issued for violations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, including 30 stop work orders
    • 7 requirements issued to provide an inspector with workplace information
  • an average of 5.83 orders and requirements issued per workplace visited
  • an average of 4.73 orders and requirements issued per visit

Most frequently issued orders

Orders were issued under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) the most frequently for the following reasons:

  • employer failure to ensure equipment, material and protective devices provided by the employer are maintained in good condition [s. 25(1)(b)]—26 orders or 5.19% of the total orders and requirements issued during the initiative
  • to stop work at the workplace as indicated in the order until the order to stop work is withdrawn or cancelled by an inspector after an inspection [s. 57(6)(b)]—20 orders or 3.99%
  • employer failure to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker [s. 25(2)(h)]—17 orders or 3.39%
  • to have a constructor, a licensee or an employer submit to the Ministry of Labour a compliance plan prepared in the manner and including such items as required by the order [s. 57(4)]—12 orders or 2.40%

The most frequently issued orders under Regulation 854: Mines and Mining Plants were for employers’ failure to:

  • make sure the head, tail, drive, deflection and tension pulleys, and (if the lift of the belt was restricted) the return rollers and the carry rollers were guarded by a guard that, unless it would render the pinch point inaccessible, extended at least 0.9 metres from the pinch point [s. 196(3.1)]—50 orders or 29.94% of the total orders and requirements issued during the initiative
  • conduct a risk assessment of the workplace for the purpose of identifying, assessing and managing hazards and potential hazards that may expose a worker to injury or illness [s. 5.1(1)]—22 orders or 4.39%
  • ensure that every conveyor has an emergency stopping system that operates a manual reset switch that stops the conveyor [s. 196.1(1)]—19 orders or 3.79%
  • have an emergency stopping system [s. 196(3)]—18 orders or 3.59%
  • ensure a machine that has an exposed moving part that may endanger the safety of any person is fenced or guarded [s. 185(2)]—11 orders or 2.20%

Observations

The risk of any hazard can be prevented by raising awareness and taking proper precautions. Heightened awareness of any hazard can bring change. The findings of this initiative reinforce the need for a continued enforcement focus on guarding issues. The area of concern include conveyors as well as other fixed plant operating equipment such as screeners and crushers.

Conclusion and next steps

The initiative results confirm that the Ministry of Labour needs to continue to focus on promoting compliance with the requirements for conveyor guarding in underground and surface mines.

A key to workplace health and safety in Ontario is the internal responsibility system (IRS). Employers, supervisors, workers, Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSC) and health and safety representatives must continue to work together to identify and control hazards at mining plants.

Help for employers

Please contact our health and safety partners for more information on the hazards associated with conveyor guarding.