Good signage can help keep work environments safe in mines and quarries.
by Martin Carter
Communication N
Visual
o matter how well a mine or quarry has attended to safety, going through a Mine Safety and Health Administra- tion (MSHA), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), or WorkSafe BC inspection is a bear.
Why? Because a safe working environment is the mine site's responsibility — even if headquar- ters is in Canada, Australia, or the United States. Safety and budget-conscious mines like Bar- rick, headquartered in Toronto; Teck Coal with headquarters in Vancouver and operations in
39A AGGREGATES MANAGER DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE May 2012
Hinton, Sparwood, Elkford, and Millertown; and Rio Tinto with a head office in Montreal, Quebec, all create safety labels on-site with thermal transfer printers — satisfying both CSA and WorkSafe BC— to keep operations running smoothly. JoAnne Thomas is the dewatering compliance technician for Barrick Gold Corp.'s Cortez Mine which employs more than 1,000 people. Barrick is the world's largest gold producer with a portfolio of 26 operating mines.
A big believer in mine safety, Thomas offered several observations. She explained that safety
