Workers at Quebec mine concerned for safety following collapse
Workers at IAMGOLD's Westwood Mine in Preissac, Que. are worried about heading back underground, following a collapse that left nine miners trapped for 18 hours Tuesday.
"I've been a miner...and believe me, that's totally normal," said Sylvain Lehoux, general manager of the Westwood Mine, who met with workers early Wednesday. "They are afraid to get back there, and we all understand. It's tough for now."
Seismic activity triggered the collapse at 3:28 a.m. ET Tuesday on the 104 level of the mine, about one kilometre underground.
Rescuers used remote-controlled machinery to clear debris and finally brought the last man to the surface at around 9:30 p.m. ET.
"The great news is that all are back above ground safe and uninjured — tired, but uninjured," said Lehoux.
Quebec's Workplace Health and Safety Board (CSST) has shut down the section where the collapse occurred and 10 levels above it. CSST spokesman Yvon Grégoire said it's "concerning" that there were two accidents related to seismic activity in four months.
Workplace safety inspectors are expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon at the mine, located roughly 70 kilometres northwest of Rouyn-Noranda, Que.
Lehoux said he welcomes a thorough investigation.
"We talk to CSST. We have good conversations with them. They come on site every month," he said.
Mine on a fault line
The Westwood mine is located over the Cadillac fault and has experienced several seismic events since it began production in July 2014.
On Jan. 21, seismic activity triggered a collapse, trapping four workers. None were injured.
Another previous event in 2013 happened between shifts, when no workers were in the mine.
Lehoux said the company was aware of the fault line location prior to the mine opening, but expert surveys did not indicate that the fault would cause so many problems.
"We were not supposed to get seismic events like that," said Lehoux.
The company installed more sensors to monitor seismic activity following the collapse in January.
Lehoux said the seismic activity can be triggered by blasting, which the mine does every two to three days. The company halts activity for up to 48 hours after blasting, but sometimes, seismic events occur outside of that window, according to Lehoux.
