Worker killed in Nanisivik mine accident

DENISE RIDEOUT

A 46-year-old mine worker was killed when he fell into a rock crusher at Nanisivik mine in the early hours of Dec. 31.

The man, originally from Ontario, had worked at the mine for almost 12 years. He was killed instantly by the machine, which takes ore from the mine and reduces it to small pieces for further processing.

The RCMP are not releasing the victim’s name until a positive identification of the body has been made.

Bill Heath, general manager of the Nanisivik zinc mine, said co-workers were shocked by the accident. “The mining industry is a relatively small and tight-knit community. There’s always a great sense of loss when one of our colleagues is lost,” he said.

Heath said the accident occurred at about 1:50 a.m. on Monday. No one witnessed the accident.

According to a press release issued by the Arctic Bay-Nanisivik RCMP detachment, a mine employee discovered the body when a safety switch was activated and the crusher stopped working.

Work at the mine was stopped immediately after the accident. The underground mining operations, the area where the man was killed, were shut down until Wednesday morning. Mill operations were also closed for several hours following the accident.

The RCMP, along with mine investigators, are conducting an investigation into the death.

The owner of Nanisivik mine, Toronto-based Breakwater Resources Ltd., announced in November that it will shut down the mine in September 2002 because it’s a money-losing operation for the company.