It is cited by the Nova Scotia Department of Labor donkin coal mine for a long list of security breaches since the underground resumed operations in Cape Breton in mid-September.
According to the department, the owners of Cameron Coal Management Ltd have received 14 warnings, 19 compliance orders and eight administrative penalties or fines in the last four months.
Violations range from the use of an unqualified worker performing electrical work and an unapproved ventilation control device to improper storage of compressed gas cylinders.
Labor Secretary Jill Balser says the list of violations is concerning but says the risk to workers was minimal.
Balsar says that if the department’s inspectors find anything that poses an imminent safety risk, they will not hesitate to issue a stop-work order.
She says mine operations are “top of mind” for her department.
The mine resumed operations last year after being shut down in March 2020 due to falling coal prices and roof collapse, which led to repeated government stop-work orders.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 19, 2023.