Experts call for more information sharing at Sudbury mine safety conference

A mine manager at Vale in Sudbury says mines don't compare notes on proven safety practices because competition between companies gets in the way.

On the heels of the province's new mine safety review released in Sudbury this week, there are calls for better information sharing in the industry.

FrankDemers, the manager for Vale's Creighton mine,saton a committee that lookedat hazards in mines. It was part of the year-long mining review commissioned by the provincial government following a number ofmining deaths.

• Mining safety review makes 18 recommendations

At a mining safety conference in Sudbury on Thursday, Demersdescribeda mining industry where procedures aredifferentin the variousminesandwhere safety standards are not consistent.

Competition among companies sometimes gets in the way of sharing good safety information,Demers said.

"Am I surprised that it hasn't happened? I guess I'm not too surprised because I've worked for Vale now for 15years and I know that my neighbours across the street do things differently at Glencore," Demers said.

"We've gotten much better at sharing over the past three or four years, but prior to that we liked to hold our cards close to our chests."

A potential solution to the problem was presented byTammyEger, thedirector of the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health.

Eger suggested the centre, which is located at Laurentian University, could become arepository of safety information for companies to consult.

The centre couldmake sure academic studies are translated into practical language that is useful for the industry,Egeradded.

"There's this gap that still exists in translating safetyresearch from the academics into the industry in a practical way,"Eger said.

The centre could also partner with other workplace safety organizations to develop and communicate safety standards and best practices, she added.