Diavik Diamond Mine Inc. will have to pay $125,000 after pleading guilty to unsafe work practices connected to a serious injury of a worker back in January 26, 2023.
This comes after a court proceeding in Yellowknife on Wednesday.
In addition to the fine, the company is also expected to pay a 15% victim fine surcharge, which is about $18,750, to the injured worker.
The incident occurred when the worker was cleaning a rockfill mixer. The hose he was using dropped into the machine and pulled his left hand in with it. The work practice for cleaning a rockfill mixer at the time was to open the machine, slow the movement and spray water from a hose.
“There were no guards or safety measures implemented to ensure that workers could not get caught in the moving parts,” the commission stated.
The WSCC filed four charges against Diavik following an investigation on January 19, 2024.
Diavik cooperated with the investigation and took corrective actions to prevent similar incidents. The company reaffirmed the requirement to lockout the equipment before cleaning, conducted a review of the Standard Operating Procedure and trained all workers on these procedures.
