Sifto salt mine office damaged by F3 tornado. File photo.
HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – The electric disc braking system on the loading boom at a salt mine in Goderich was working the day its operator, Normand Laberge, was killed when a tornado pushed it to the end of its track and overturned it, an inspector from the Ministry of Labour told an inquest today.
“There were shiny spots on every single wheel that was in contact with the track. In that environment, rust builds up very, very quickly, so we ascertained that at that moment in time the wheels actually skidded across the track, not rolled. [The brakes] were in tact and functioning at that time,” said Rick Shulist, who investigated the scene on Aug. 22, 2011, the day after a tornado hit the harbour and ripped a swath through Goderich and the surrounding area. He said there were no contraventions noted of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the associated mining regulations.
He told Coroner’s counsel Laura Grant he could suggest no changes to legislation that would have avoided Laberge’s death.
The five-member jury in the inquest heard by Dr. Rick Mann, is charged with the job of answering five questions: who the decreased was, and how, when, where and by what means the deceased came to his death. They are also encouraged to make recommendations to prevent future deaths.
An inquest is mandatory under the Coroner’s Act in the event of a death at a mine.
“When you bring Mother Nature into the equation, you can’t control her. She will do what she wants,” he said.
He said employers should take reasonable precautions to protect their workers from adverse weather conditions.
Rick Black, who was working on the Algoma Navigator while it was being loaded with salt, was on the deck making a call to his wife when the tornado hit. He watched as it tore up a salt hut, took out windows in the office building, and swirl cars around. He watched it swing the loading boom to the end of its semi-circle track where it pulled up what’s referred to as an “end stop,” which stops its travel. At that point, the loading boom tipped over.
George Mondoux, who is the mine’s health and safety manager, said a number of changes have been implemented since the tornado.
The ruined loading boom was replaced with a new one that has an automatic braking system that clamps the track whenever the operator takes his hands off the controls. By the end of March, an automatic shut down procedure will be in place so that the operator is not required to be in the cab. An emergency stop that allows the operator to hit a button and evacuate is still an option.
Although the mine has a policy that lays out operating procedures that require the ship loader operator to shut down when winds reach speeds greater than 60 km/h, Mondoux said before the tornado the loading boom operator relied on the boat’s crew to tell him wind speed or asked a supervisor or central control to check the Goderich Port Management Corporation’s website to see the wind speed readings from an anemometer on Dome 5. Supervisors also rely on Environment Canada’s website for weather watches and warnings.
Now, an anemometer is fixed on the loading boom and its readings are displayed on a computer screen in the operator’s cab. The display turns yellow when wind speeds exceed 45 km/h and turns red with wind speeds exceed 60 km/h, the inquest heard.
The company is working on computer programming that will force the loading boom to automatically shut down when winds get high.
As well, the loading boom operator can’t wait out the weather in his cab anymore. There is an exit procedure that requires him to go to the basement of Dome 1 until the winds die down.
The inquest heard that four weather radios have been programmed for local alerts.
The inquest also heard from field officer and the deputy chief of program development from Emergency Management Ontario, and a representative from Huron County’s Emergency Management Services.
Tomorrow, the parties who have been granted standing to participate in the inquest may make arguments and submissions, comment on evidence presented and suggest recommendations to the jury. Coroner’s counsel, Teresa Donnelly and Laura Grant, will make a final comment to the jury and the coroner, Dr. Rick Mann, will charge the jury. Then the jury will deliberate and consider recommendations.
