NEWS RELEASE
GOLDCORP PORCUPINE GOLD MINES
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Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines today announced it will resume blasting at the Hollinger open pit mine following the completion of an investigation into an incident involving a small piece of fly rock which hit a parked vehicle as a result of a blast on July 22, 2014.
The vehicle was parked on Goldcorp property. No one was injured in the incident.
An independent Montreal-based consultant concluded that the incident was caused by insufficient blast matting.
As a result of the investigation, the following recommendations have been or will be implemented by Porcupine Gold Mines to minimize risk in future blasts:
- Establish dedicated blast teams.
- Use of standardized blast matting design.
- Review of all blasting patterns to ensure blast matting is optimized.
A review of the pre-blast inspection process to ensure more thorough checks of blast mat design and positioning before proceeding with blasting.
“The safety of our employees and the public remains our number one priority and we are confident that we can resume blasting in a safe and responsible manner,” said Marc Lauzier, Mine General Manager at Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines.
The Hollinger Mine is an open pit operation in the heart of the City of Timmins.
Goldcorp Porcupine Gold Mines is recovering residual gold from the property while rehabilitating the land in order to return it to the City of Timmins for safe public use.
For more information please contact: Patricia Buttineau, Coordinator, Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility Tel: (705) 235-6333 Cell: (705) 465-1820, [email protected]
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