The Nova Scotia Department of Labor has lifted a stop-work order more than five months after a pair of roofs collapsed at the Donkin underground coal mine, but it remains unclear when production will restart.
The province notified mine operator Kameron Coal of the decision on Wednesday, saying the company met the first phase of safety requirements issued in October. These include updating its hazard assessment classification system and adding more monitoring measures on the access tunnel roof.
"The department is satisfied that Kameron Coal has complied with the conditions outlined in the compliance order," Scott Nauss, the department's senior executive director of safety, said in a news release.
No one at Kameron Coal could be reached for comment. The company typically does not respond to media requests.
The province hired Dalhousie engineering professor Andrew Corkum to examine the mine's safety plans after the company repaired roof falls this summer.
Corkum reported that Roof falls occurred primarily when humidity levels were high and recommended a two-phase reopening.
Third party review required
The province said the company has met phase one requirements and can resume mining, but only during the winter when humidity levels are lower.
The company cannot continue mining after February 29, 2024, unless it hires an independent third-party engineer with mining experience to review the company's ground control plan.
Ground control plans (the roof of an underground mine is the ground) typically include detection of roof movements and mitigation measures to protect workers from falling rocks, among other things.
There were no injuries from the roof collapse in July, but the second was considered to be of significant magnitude by provincial safety officials, who were also concerned about the frequency of the incidents.
The mine has experienced 32 falls from roofs weighing more than three tons since opening in 2017, the department said.
Since July, Kameron Coal has laid off workers in stages, but idled the mine completely in November amid uncertainty over when the stop-work order would be lifted.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality Deputy Mayor James Edwards, a member of the mine's community liaison committee, said it's unclear when the laid-off miners will be able to return to work, but he said Wednesday's government news was positive.
"I'm certainly pleased with the lifting of the stop-work order in today's announcement," he said. "It's good, but it doesn't mean an imminent reopening of the mine yet."
Edwards said some of the laid-off miners went west to work, so it may take some time for the company to assemble and possibly train staff.
"Fingers crossed and I know this will be great news for the families of the miners and the workers there and the business community," he said. "Everything is fine from an economic point of view."
