Mining Company Fined $120,000 for Drilling Too Close to Rock Structures

A loose rock fell on a mine worker who was performing drilling and rock blasting in an area near bedding planes, veins, joints and faults. The MOL concluded that vibrations from the drill caused the rock to fall. The employer, a BC mining company, pled guilty to failing to take reasonable precautions to ensure drilling wasn’t done adjacent to significant rock structures and fined $120,000 plus a 25% victim surcharge [DMC Mining Service, Ltd., MOL Press Release, September 13, 2021].