A year after worker dies, Baffinland charged with health and safety violations

Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. is facing charges over alleged health and safety violations at the Mary River Mine.

Last Thursday the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commissionfiled 16 charges in Nunavut court under the territory's Mine Health and Safety Acts.

Those charges are related to the death of a mine worker who was fatally injured in avehicle accident one year ago, the workers' safetycommission said in a news release Tuesday morning.

The worker, who was employed by a subcontractor,diedon Dec. 16, 2018, while operating a haul truck at the North Baffin mine site outside of Pond Inlet.

Alleged violations against Baffinland include "failing to supervise, instruct and train as is necessary to protect the health and safety of workers and failing to provide and maintain healthy and safe work sites," the news release said.

In a statement, the mining company said it did an internal investigation after the accident and worked with police and the workers' safety commission on their investigations.

"Baffinland disagrees with the WSCC's assertion that it has breached the act and intends to vigorously defend itself," the company said.

The commissiontold CBC Newsit cannot comment further because the matter is now before the courts.

The matter is scheduled to be heard in court in Iqaluit on Jan. 9, 2020.