When a fire broke out at the Lalor mine camp near Snow Lake this past July, Richard Trudeau, the director of health and safety and Marshall Manns, chief of Hudbay’s in-house fire department and emergency preparedness and security officer, knew exactly what to do.
“Proper notification to the Snow Lake Fire Department and evacuation procedures were followed when the fire broke out,” they said in an email.
“Emergency response procedures were followed, ensuring that all residents of the camp were safe and accounted for. As part of our continuous improvement process, we completed our internal investigation of the incident and are implementing several recommendations.”
Some of the changes made at the mining camp include creating designated smoking areas inside the camp, and conducting monthly safety audits with both Hudbay and Outland Camps employees.
Hudbay lists safety as a top priority. Trudeau and Manns said they annually review their safety procedures and hold mock evacuations every year.
“The departments review the safety risks and potential hazards in each of their areas, then put in controls to mitigate the risk to as low as reasonably achievable,” they said.
“What may be the biggest risk at surface is not necessarily the biggest risk underground.”
The duo said response time is key for Hudbay, as is their work with unions to make effective plans.
“Our priority is on prevention and the capacity to respond quickly and effectively, as we did in Snow Lake following the fire,” Trudeau and Manns said.
“All Flin Flon mining operations have reviewed potential major incidents with the assistance of our Union Health and Safety representatives. Once the major incidents or hazards are identified, controls are put in place to mitigate the risk to as low as possible.”
When it comes to an emergency, Trudeau and Manns said Hudbay has a network of support within the communities they operate in.
“The magnitude of the event will determine the need for community resources,” he said. “Hudbay and our communities have mutual agreements to assist each other in the event of a major incident. Additionally, Hudbay has mutual aid agreements with the mine rescue stations in the province. Hudbay has its own firefighters and mine rescue personnel. Sometimes, those employees are dispatched to help in community emergencies as well.”
Hudbay’s mine rescue squads were recognized as the best in the province during the 2019 Manitoba Provincial Mine Rescue Competition, held at 777 mine this year. Hudbay Flin Flon finished first, while Hudbay’s Snow Lake team ended in second.
“Part of overall emergency preparedness efforts includes having our individual mine rescue teams regularly tested against those from other mines across Manitoba,” Trudeau and Manns said.
“In this year’s competition, Hudbay’s teams from Flin Flon and Snow Lake ranked first and second in the province, respectively.”
