News Analysis

Report on the Explosion at the Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Company

On October 4, the Workplace Safety and Health branch of the Department of Labour released its report following an investigation into the August 8 explosion at the Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Co. in Flin Flon that left one worker dead and 13 others injured. The 710-page report has still not been made public, as it is being reviewed by the Justice Department to determine if there are grounds for criminal prosecution.

A summary of the report confirmed that the explosions at the smelter occurred when water used by HBM&S for routine maintenance shutdown came into contact with molten metal in the base of the smelter's furnace. The practice of pumping water into the furnace after a couple of hours cool-down time is considered extremely dangerous and is not used by the country's other five major smelter operations.

The summary report identified a number of specific problems with HBM&S safety procedures. For example, workers trying to flee the furnace after the series of explosions found that the doors were locked, while burn blankets, which could have reduced the impact of burns, required a knife to open. The report also noted that some workers were delayed in fleeing the blast because they were tethered to their equipment.

Workplace Safety and Health also issued a series of recommendations to the company, including:

1. That there be an overhaul of existing maintenance and safety practices at HBM&S;

2. That there be an implementation of a new procedure for shutting down the furnace that would allow more time for the molten metal in the furnace to cool;

3. That water be kept out of the furnace until this cooling time has occurred and then it only be used under closely controlled conditions;

4. That policies for training and selecting all employees and management be reviewed to ensure that all employees and management gain sufficient knowledge and experience is built in smelter practices;

5. That exits not be locked or blocked so workers can escape unhindered in an emergency;

6. That workers not be tethered to their equipment in such a manner that it may hinder their escape;

7. That while implementing the above policies the company investigate an alternative means of cleaning the furnace than using; and

8. That the company investigate a means of securing burn blankets that would not require a sharp metal instrument for removal.

Workers at the smelter report that they are under a great deal of pressure to perform quickly and often a blind eye is turned to violations of the company's existing health and safety policies. HBM&S is also well-known in Flin Flon for using blackmail to impose conditions on their workers; on two separate occasions in the last 15 years, the company has threatened to close its doors unless they were granted wage concessions. HBM&S is Flin Flon's largest employer and its closure would devastate the entire community. In the North, where there are a few key industries that the entire economy is dependent on, such blackmail goes far. And workers pay the ultimate price.

The tragedy at HBM&S highlights the importance that the capitalist class places in the health and safety of workers. It also draws attention to the importance HBM&S places on reports such as the one just issued by Workplace Safety and Health. For in spite of the many similar reports which have called on HMB&S to overhaul their health and safety practices, there have been three fatal workplace accidents and dozens of serious and disabling injuries in the past ten years