Vale – Page 78 – Republic of Mining

Steelworker president angry over [Sudbury Vale mining] deaths – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 31, 2012)

January 31, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The president of the union representing the miner killed Sunday at Coleman Mine was as angry Monday as he was sad that a member of United Steelworkers Local 6500 had been killed on the job.

While his union was expressing its heartfelt condolences to the miner’s family, Rick Bertrand was feeling mixed emotions, as were many of his members. “A big part of it is anger, (I’m) very angry,” Bertrand said Monday at the new Steelworkers’ Hall at 66 Brady St.

“Four fatalities in seven months is unacceptable … this has got to stop,” said Bertrand. Two Local 6500 members, Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, were killed June 8 of last year at Stobie Mine.

Another Steelworker, a member of USW Local 6166 in Thompson, Man., died in October, 12 days after he fell down a mine shaft while operating a scoop tram. Greg Leason, 51, had 23 years with Inco and Vale.

Investigators combing mine [Sudbury Vale mining death] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 31, 2012)

January 31, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The Ministry of Labour has issued two requirements of Vale Ltd. after the death of a 16-year employee early Sunday afternoon at the 4,215-foot level at Coleman Mine in Levack.

The first requirement is “don’t disturb the scene,” said ministry spokesman Matt Blajer. The ministry has also asked for a number of documents, such as training records and equipment information. Two ministry inspectors responded Sunday after the fatality was reported. Monday, they called in a ministry ground control engineer to help.

Blajer said the ministry was told the miner was “loading the face of the rock with explosives from a man basket when the incident occurred.” Blajer identified the area as the 4215 Level West T1 Cut 5.

The ministry is also asking Vale for its plans for the development of the heading at 36 West T1 Cut 5, he said.

Vale miner killed at [Sudbury] Coleman Mine – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – January 30, 2012)

January 31, 2012January 31, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale has confirmed that an employee was killed by falling rock at Coleman Mine on Sunday.

“Vale regretfully announces that an employee was fatally injured this afternoon while working underground in the main ore body at the 4,215-foot level of the company’s Coleman Mine in Levack due to what appears to be some displacement of material from a development heading,” the company said in a release.

“The employee was found and brought to surface, where he was subsequently pronounced dead by medical authorities.” Vale said the immediate family has been notified, but the name of the employee is being withheld pending completion of the notification process.

The employee was 47 and had worked at the company for 16 years.

4 Vale mine deaths in 7 months anger union leader – CBC News (CBC.ca – January 30, 2012)

January 30, 2012

This article came from the CBC News website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/

Sudbury-area fatality the 4th this year at Vale mines

The president of the Steelworkers union local in Sudbury is calling Sunday’s mining fatality “unacceptable.” A 47-year-old man was killed Sunday afternoon while working at Vale’s Coleman Mine in Levack, Ont., northwest of Sudbury.

“It’s a really difficult … I’m very angry,” Rick Bertand said. “And the reason for that is … four fatalities in seven months is unacceptable — three in Sudbury, one in Thompson [Man.].” Ministry of Labour investigators are on the scene.

“All we know at this time is a worker was loading the face of the rock with explosives, from a man-basket, when the incident occurred,” said ministry spokesman Matt Blajer.

The ministry has issued two requirements to Vale: that it not disturb the area and any equipment until it’s released by one of the ministry inspectors and to release a number of documents related to training and equipment. Bertand said a plan needs to be forged when it comes to health and safety at Vale mines.

NEWS RELEASE: VALE MINE EMPLOYEE FATALLY INJURED

January 30, 2012

SUDBURY, January 29, 2012 – Vale regretfully announces that an employee was fatally injured this afternoon while working underground in the main ore body at the 4215-foot level of the company’s Coleman Mine in Levack due to what appears to be some displacement of material from a development heading. The employee was found and brought to surface, where he was subsequently pronounced dead by medical authorities.

The immediate family has been notified, however, the name of the employee is being withheld pending completion of the notification process.

The employee was 47 years old and had 16 years experience working with the Company.

“We are saddened and devastated by the loss of this employee,” said Kelly Strong, Vice President Mining & Milling (North Atlantic Operations) and General Manager, Ontario Operations.

Vale worker at Coleman Mine killed Sunday – UPDATED (Sudbury Star – January 30, 2012)

January 30, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale has confirmed that an employee was killed Sunday by falling rock at Coleman Mine.

“Vale regretfully announces that an employee was fatally injured this afternoon while working underground in the main ore body at the 4215-foot level of the company’s Coleman Mine in Levack due to what appears to be some displacement of material from a development heading,” the company said in a release.

The employee was 47 and had 16 years with the company.

[Sudbury] Steel hall honours union boss – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 27, 2012)

January 27, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

It was almost a first for union boss Leo Gerard. Gerard was apparently blind-sided when it was announced Thursday that the executive and membership of United Steelworkers Local 6500 had named their new hall after the international president of their union.

That news came just before the ribbon was cut at the grand opening of the local’s new headquarters at 66 Brady St.

“I guess it’s almost a first. I’m almost speechless,” said a teary-eyed Gerard when a cloth cover was removed from the plaque reading “Leo W. Gerard Hall,” which hangs over the entrance to the main hall.

The day was a bittersweet one for Gerard, Local 6500 members and residents of the community. They were excited about the transformation of the former grocery store into a state-of-the-art hall and conference centre, but tears were also shed for the Steelworkers’ Hall at 92 Frood Rd. that burned to the ground in September 2008.

[Sudbury Local 6500] Union probe on Stobie deaths to be made public – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 26, 2012)

January 26, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

United Steelworkers Local 6500 is “dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s” on its report into its investigation into the deaths of two Stobie miners June 8, 2011, and will share its findings soon with members and the public.

Local 6500 president Rick Bertrand said the union is making sure its report is thorough so that “when we walk away, we can say we’re pleased with the investigation (and) we’ve done everything we can.”

Vale Ltd. released the findings of its investigation Tuesday at a news conference. That report didn’t pinpoint exactly how Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, were killed about 9:45 p.m., while working at the 3,000-foot level near the No. 7 ore pass at Stobie.

Kelly Strong, vice-president of mining and milling for Vale’s North Atlantic operations, said six factors contributed to the men’s deaths– water manage-m ent, ore mixing, ore pass management, operational controls, roles and responsibilities, and training and awareness.

Life matters the most [Vale Sudbury mining deaths recommendations] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 25, 2012)

January 25, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A team from Vale Ltd. investigating the June 8, 2011, deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram at Stobie Mine has made more than 30 recommendations to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.

Kelly Strong, Vale’s vice-president of mining and milling operations, said several factors contributed to the deaths of the men.

Chenier, 35, and Fram, 26, were killed about 9:45 p.m. when they were overtaken by 350 tons of muck while working around the No. 7 ore pass at the 3,000-foot level of the mine. Strong offered two scenarios for how the accident might have occurred.

One is that there was a buildup of wet, fine sandy muck above the crash gate on the 3,000 level, which collapsed and drove its way down the ore pass, overtaking the two men. The other is that there was a hang-up of wet, fine sandy muck above coarser material, which unexpectedly let go.

Vale: Investing in the Future – by Gay Sutton (Business Excellence Magazine – Janauary 23, 2012)

January 24, 2012

This article is from Business Excellence Magazine

When the world’s second largest diversified mining company Vale acquired the iconic Canadian nickel miner Inco five years ago it was the beginning of the largest investment in Canadian mining in the country’s history, as Cory McPhee explains to Gay Sutton.

Superficially, the icy northern reaches of Canada and the hot arid deserts of Australia have little in common other than the language. Look more closely, and both benefit from enormous mineral resources that account for a significant portion of the national economy and an even greater percentage of their exports. Moreover, some of these resources have been mined for more than a century and a half. In both cases a number of famous mining towns and cities have sprung up – providing services, products, homes and entertainment for those working in some of the world’s least hospitable places.

The city of Sudbury in Ontario is one such place. With long cold winters and brief but warm and humid summers, it began as a simple mining camp in the rich geological region known as the Sudbury Basin. Today Sudbury is a city of some 158,000 people and its economy has diversified to include financial services, business, tourism, healthcare and education. But mining continues to play a significant role. According to figures produced by the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation last year, Vale – which can trace its history back to 1902 when Inco opened its first mine in Sudbury – is still the city’s largest employer.

NEWS RELEASE: Vale Contributes to Research Project with Aim to Help Northern Manitoba Youth Education

January 18, 2012

posted January 16, 2012

BRANDON, MB — Today in Thompson, the President and Vice-Chancellor of Brandon University, Dr. Deborah C. Poff met Lovro Paulic, the General Manager of Vale’s Manitoba Operations to accept the company’s donation of $400,000 in support of the Vital Outcomes Indicators for Community Engagement for Children and Youth (VOICE) project.

Brandon University is supported in this project through a $1 million-dollar peer-reviewed research grant from the Government of Canada, through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Community-University Research Alliances Program (SSHRC CURA). The University College of the North will share in the award and actively participate in the research activities. The project will also include individuals from Frontier School Divisions, Kelsey School Division and the School District of Mystery Lake.

“This generous donation from Vale will help bring researchers and community-partners closer and make a positive impact in the lives of First Nations and Métis children and youth living in Northern Manitoba,” said Dr. Poff. “We are very grateful for Vale’s interest and financial commitment to this important collaborative venture in research and capacity-building.”

[Sudbury] City, mining companies to share costs – by Mike Whitehouse (Sudbury Star – January 13, 2012)

January 13, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The city of Grater Sudbury is poised to announce a landmark agreement to share the costs of rebuilding a local road with area mining companies.

The deal, which will be introduced to council at its Jan. 24 meeting, will split the cost of improvements to Regional Road 4 in Whitefish between Vale, Quadra FNX and the city. The city’s share of the $20-million project is expected to be about $5 million, Greg Clausen, the city’s general manager of infrastructure, said.

The road, more commonly known as Worthington Road, serves Vale’s Totten Mine and a handful or residential and camp properties. It will also serve Quadra’s Victoria Mine, for which constr uction is expected to begin this year. When completed by 2017, Victoria Mine will employ more than 200 full-time people throughout its 15-to 20-year lifespan.

Nickel on a rollercoaster – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 3, 2012)

January 3, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The European economic malaise and competition from upstart nickel pig iron producers will likely combine to keep the price of nickel fluctuating in 2012, says a metals analyst.

Price volatility is bound to continue next year, says Montreal-based Terry Ortslan of TSO & Associates. From a high of $16.91 a pound in 2007 on the London Metals Exchange to a low of $6.65 a pound in 2009, nickel averaged about $12.25 a pound in 2011, said Ortslan.

“Recently, the prices are struggling at $8 a pound,” Orstlan said last week, after returning from a business trip to China, where nickel continues to be in high demand.

Ortslan says $7 a pound would be a “low target” for 2012, although he would not rule out that possibility because of Europe’s economic woes and China’s ongoing production from non-traditional sources.

Vale hatches a plan [worker shortages] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 3, 2012)

January 3, 2012

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale Ltd. is devising strategies to deal with one of its greatest challenges — the looming shortage of skilled tradespeople, and production and maintenance workers for its Canadian operations.

The Brazil-based miner has launched a country-wide advertising campaign to convince Canadians they can live the good life in Sudbury, rather than having to fly in and out of mining or oil sands operations.

Vale expects to hire at least 300 full-time people in 2012, mostly engineers and skilled tradespeople. But it will be looking for miners as well. A recent call for 60 production and maintenance workers netted 800 resumes, said Vale spokeswoman Angie Robson.