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Topic: Westray Mine Disaster

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	Occupational Safety and the Criminal Code
		In May 1992, 26 miners died in an explosion at the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia.
		One of the recommendations from the public inquiry into that disaster was that the Government of Canada, should look into the accountability of corporate executives and directors for workplace safety and, based on the findings, introduce amendments to legislation.
		In response to the Westray Mine disaster, Nova Scotia made comprehensive changes to its workplace health and safety laws.
	www.safety-council.org /news/media/letters/sept23-ohscode.html (379 words)

	Disasters (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-14)
		The mine was sealed to starve the fire of oxygen, and 2 years passed before the last of 60 bodies were recovered.
		The tragedy of coal mine disasters was not only in lives lost, but also in the destitute families left to support themselves in a society with little, if any, compensation, and no government-sponsored income security programs.
		The worst coal mine disaster in Canadian history occurred on 19 June 1914 at Hillcrest, Alberta.
	www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com /index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1SEC819443 (698 words)

	Westray Mine in Hansard, 1998-2002
		The tale that unfolds in the Westray report is a story of incompetence, of mismanagement, of bureaucratic bungling, of deceit, of ruthlessness, of cover-up, of apathy, of expediency and of cynical indifference.
		In the Westray mine disaster, the corporation knew there were faults in the mine and knew that the equipment was not working safely, but it put great pressure on the non-unionized workers to go into the mines every day, and the workers went.
		Barite was mined as early as 1865 and from 1904 to 1920 the majority of the barite produced in Canada came from this province.
	www.littletechshoppe.com /ns1625/westrayhansard2.html (18181 words)

	Canadian Journal of Communication - Vol. 28, No. 3 (2003)
		After the mine explosion, the media and the commission of inquiry placed their own retrospective accounts on events, profoundly shaping our view of the Westray mine disaster.
		Ultimately, events at the Westray mine were not the cumulative outcome of a multitude of retrospective sensing, but of processes of enactment whereby many retrospective senses were made into a few dominant ones.
		This does happen (and was retrospectively attributed to Westray management), but often the enactment of a sense of a situation depends on location within a discourse (Foucault, 1979), whereby the outcome is arrived at in response to various, sometimes countervailing influences.
	www.cjc-online.ca /printarticle.php?id=797&layout=html (7692 words)

	Keynote Address
		Malcolm J. McPherson on The Westray Mine Disaster.
		The Westray tragedy is regarded as a fl mark in the history of mining in Canada; we must learn from this tragedy to prevent another.
		In May 1992, an explosion at the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia killed all 26 miners who were underground at the time.
	mine.queensu.ca /ventilation/Keynote.htm (392 words)

	CM Magazine: Westray.
		Westray is a hard hitting, moving account of the Westray mine explosion of May 9, 1992, in which 26 men were killed underground.
		However, the mine owners and government safety inspectors are not given the chance to justify their actions.
		With the advances in modern technology, it is made clear that the Westray disaster happened because coal was prized more than human life.
	www.umanitoba.ca /cm/vol8/no14/westray.html (468 words)

	Westray Mine Disaster - Definition, explanation
		The Westray Mine Disaster was a Canadian disaster on Saturday, May 9, 1992, in Plymouth, Nova Scotia, when a methane gas explosion at 5:18 a.m.
		The former mine site was razed in 1998 with the most visible reminder of the tragedy, the two 15-storey blue concrete coal storage silos, being imploded on November 27, 1998.
		Following the closure of the last working mine in the 1970s, Pictou County's hopes for a mining renaissance were revived with the announcement of a proposed mine in the region in the late 1980s.
	www.calsky.com /lexikon/en/txt/w/we/westray_mine_disaster.php (710 words)

	Westray Report
		Mine management, rather than putting in place a safety-incentive programme of a type known to significantly improve cautious and accident-free performance, instituted instead a remuneration schedule with a progressive production bonus component that appears to have exacerbated risk acceptance and the frequency of imprudent practices among the miners.
		In one mine the number of days lost due to accidents was reduced by about 89 per cent of baseline, and in the other by as much as about 98 per cent.
		The turn-over at the mine is a reflection of this attitude.
	pavlov.psyc.queensu.ca /faculty/wilde/westray.html (8461 words)

	Week of May 14 to May 20, 2001: The North Shore News weekly top stories from Vancouver's North Shore, British Columbia, ...
		The Westray mine, located in the small town of Plymouth, in Pictou County, exploded on May 9, 1992, killing 26 miners who were below ground at the time.
		Westray was operated by Ontario-based Curragh Resources and Chief Executive Officer Clifford Frame, who secured over $100 million in public money to help set up the mine only one year before the explosion.
		Justice K. Peter Richard states that the mine was a "veritable Pandora's Box of human faults and foibles." His report damns both the mine inspectors as well as the senior management of Curragh Resources itself.
	www.nsnews.com /issues01/w052101/news/top-stories/05160101.html (1389 words)

	Westray mine safety (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-14)
		Recent investigation into the Westray mining disaster, which claimed 26 lives on May 9, 1992, suggests that models developed for high-risk systems like nuclear and chemical plants do not apply to "earthbound" industries like coal mining and logging.
		Evidence from Westray shows a long-standing pattern of safety violations: combustion engines refueled with the motors running, a "volunteer "system for applying limestone to reduce coal dust concentrations, cigarette butts and oily rags littering the mine floor.
		Memorials found in many mining towns depict the miner as a tragic hero and probably incline the workers to accept higher risks as part of their occupational identity.
	www.ucalgary.ca /UofC/events/unicomm/Research/westray.html (686 words)

	CAW - TCA CANADA : What We Do
		When coal dust and methane gas exploded in the southwest section of the underground Westray coal mine in Plymouth, Nova Scotia the immediate effect was a devastating fire, a blast that ripped the roof off the mine entrance and the death of 26 miners.
		When he was appointed to the Westray Inquiry, he promised to carefully examine "anything that bears on the explosion" and he understood his responsibility as an "awesome" one.
		Westray had been in operation for eight months and was still far behind production goals of 3,000 tonnes of coal per day.
	www.caw.ca /whatwedo/health&safety/newsletter/12.3mayjune_04.asp (6284 words)

	NFB - Collection - Westray
		Westray is a moving account of the Westray coal mine disaster, which killed 26 men in Nova Scotia on May 9, 1992.
		The film recreates the events that lured workers to the mine, detailing the horror of the explosion and its complex and tragic aftermath.
		It's a compelling portrait of working men and their wives who had no option but to remain in Westray - and of a company that violated the most basic rules of mining safety.
	www.nfb.ca /westray (138 words)

	Westray Mine Disaster Index
		Westray was an underground coal mine located in the tiny village of Plymouth, near Stellarton in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. Westray was developed to mine coal from the Foord seam, long known for its high-quality coal and for being exceptionally gassy.
		The Westray mine was promoted by Curragh Resources Incorporated, an Ontario company controlled by Clifford Frame. In November 1987, Curragh incorporated a subsidiary company, Westray Coal, to construct and operate the new mine.
		The case of the 1992 Westray mines accident, one of the worst industrial disasters in Canadian history, illustrates these failures. The result of the Westray disaster was that the company and its owners became bankrupt. Much of this can be attributed to the poor internal and external communication strategies the company employed...
	www.alts.net /ns1625/wraymenu.html (8262 words)

	CSA: Bad News for Flin Flon: Anglo to Sell Hudson Bay for $259M to OntZinc
		He was also in charge of the Quintette project in British Columbia, which included a $1.5-billion public investment in roads and other infrastructure, plus $700 million in bank loans, but he was fired in 1985 when it went bust and left the banks with hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
		When the final report on Westray was released, Justice Peter Richard described Frame as an "uncompromising and abusive" owner and concluded that Westray management, from Frame on down, failed miserably in its duty to ensure the mine operated safely.
		Frame then acquired a closed asbestos mine in a remote area of British Columbia and announced plans for a multi-million dollar project to mine magnesium on the property.
	safeaccess.ca /research/flinflon/badnews.htm (648 words)

	The Militant - 10/2/95 -- Canada Gov't Sits On Facts Of Mining Disaster
		The two governments were involved at the highest level in promoting and financing the Westray mine, owned by the now-bankrupt Curragh Resources Inc. The federal government is withholding 540 documents while its provincial counterpart is keeping 750.
		The Westray mine opened amid considerable opposition because the coal field on which it sat is notorious for large concentrations of methane gas.
		In response to an October 17 roof collapse at Westray, the fifth since the mine's opening four months earlier, the memo asked for incriminating dirt on the safety record of rival coal mines in Cape Breton, an island region of Nova Scotia.
	www.themilitant.com /1995/5936/5936_25.html (638 words)

	Remember Westray victims with better safety: miners
		Family and friends of 26 men killed in the Westray mine disaster 10 years ago say politicians must remember the dead by placing more responsibility for workplace safety on corporations.
		On May 9, 1992, an explosion rumbled through the Westray mine at 5:18 a.m., trapping 26 men underground and shaking homes more than a kilometre away.
		"It's a disgrace and a tragedy that 10 years from the date of the Westray disaster, we do not have the changes in the Criminal Code that have been recommended," she said.
	www.cbc.ca /news/story/2002/05/09/westray_ten020509.html (1583 words)

	The Interlawyer
		The Westray Coal Mine began operating on September 11, 1991 in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.
		The mine was owned by Curragh Resources Inc. and operated by a subsidiary, Westray Coal Inc. In the early morning hours of May 9, 1992, only eight months after it began operations, a catastrophic explosion destroyed the mine, killing all 26 miners who were working underground at the time.
		The Westray Mine disaster helped to focus attention on the difficulty of prosecutors to make corporations and other organizations criminally responsible for the wanton or reckless disregard of workplace safety.
	www.interlaw.org /NewsLetter/Q32005/WorkplaceSafety.asp (1194 words)

	USW: USW Wins Eleven Year Struggle for Passage of “Westray” Law
		On May 9, 1992, at 5:18 a.m., a spark deep in the southeast section of the Westray mine in Nova Scotia ignited an invisible cloud of methane gas, triggering a massive explosion that trapped and killed 26 miners.
		The Westray tragedy was the direct result of deliberate inaction, mistakes, incompetence, apathy, omissions, stupidity and neglect by a company that knew the mine was unsafe but was prepared to put workers’ lives at risk for the sake of profit..
		With passage of the Westray bill workers in Canada are a step closer to being assured of a safe workplace.
	www.uswa.org /uswa/program/content/687.php (508 words)

	mine disasters
		Recently there has been a series of mining disasters that have been gathering media attention, mostly coal mines with the exception of one potash mine.
		The cause of the disaster is still speculative, however it is firmly believed to have been caused by lightning touching off the high levels of methane gas they were experiencing, similar to “Westray”.
		The big difference is the attitude of taking safety seriously; even while the men were still trapped underground the mine manager stated the miners were safer working there than they would be working in a city hall office.
	laurentian.ca /lusu/issue1_files/page0004.htm (1272 words)

	SafetyXChange - Article
		The so-called Westray affair was one of the worst workplace disasters in Canadian history.
		The mine operators knew that combustible methane gases were building up inside the mines but didn't provide necessary ventilation or take other steps to abate the problem.
		The Westray disaster and subsequent miscarriage of justice produced a public outcry and a demand for tougher laws.
	www.safetyxchange.org /article_print.php?id=152 (723 words)

	Westray bill is now law
		Bill C-45 arose in response to Nova Scotia’s 1992 Westray mine disaster in which 26 miners were killed in an underground explosion that occurred despite repeated safety warnings to the mine’s owners and managers.
		The mine had opened only eight months before the disaster, and the non-unionized workers were in the midst of an organizing drive hoping that the union would force the employer to operate a safer mine.
		Justice K Peter Richard said, in 1997, when the report was released, “The Westray story is a story of incompetence, of mismanagement, of bureaucratic bungling, of deceit, of ruthlessness, of cover-up, of apathy, of expediency, and of cynical indifference.”
	www.opseu.org /hands/westraybill.htm (774 words)

	LIFE AFTER WESTRAY
		The Westray families produced and distributed a Remember Westray bumper sticker to address the slowness of the criminal and judicial response to the explosion.
		The Westray families have used Their Light Shall Always Shine commemorative lapel pin and baseball hats to raise awareness about the Westray mine explosion and raise funds to allow the group to maintain the park.
		Members of the Westray Families Group continue to give public lectures about the Westray mine explosion as a tragic example of what can happen when workplace safety regulations are not practiced.
	www.stfx.ca /research/Westray/Remembering%20Westray/comm_proj_rem_westray.htm (737 words)

	Interrobang's Internationale: The Real Interroblog
		On September 11, 1991, the Westray mine opened, extracting coal from the highly-unstable and extremely gassy Foord seam (there had been two major mining disasters in the area in 1956 and 1958, and a history of cave-ins and explosions dating back to the 19th Century) opened, with much public fanfare and anticipation.
		Safety conditions in the mine were appalling from the get-go, the mine inspectors seemed blithely unconcerned about massive coal dust and gas problems (see the Westray Inquiry transcripts for details).
		In the case of the Westray mine disaster, the mining company's communications strategy "did not satisfy legitimate media needs and that the company's lack of open, prompt, and accessible communication fed a media suspicion that officials had something to hide.
	theinterroblog.blogspot.com (5100 words)

	CLA: Library Issues
		In its submissions to the Nova Scotia public inquiry into the Westray Mine disaster of May 1992, the United Steelworkers of America recommended creating a new criminal offence aimed specifically at corporate directors and officers who negligently fail to protect the health and safety of employees.
		In 1997, the Westray inquiry recommended that the federal government study the issue of corporate accountability with regard to workplace safety.
		One cannot help concluding from testimony heard at second reading of the bill in the House of Commons that this legislative initiative was driven by private Members emotionally upset by the Westray mine disaster of May 1992, which killed 26 miners.
	www.cla.ca /issues/billc45.htm (554 words)

	Westray
		When Liberal MLA Bernie Boudreau warned Labour Minister Leroy Legere that the mine was "potentially one of the most dangerous in the world," the minister replied that his people were "doing as good a job at Westray as they are doing at all other mines in Nova Scotia."
		It became evident from the beginning that Westray was a ticking time bomb.
		Justice K. Peter Richard concluded, "The Westray Story is a complex mosaic of actions, omissions, mistakes, incompetence, apathy, cynicism, stupidity, and neglect.
	www.shirleycollingridge.com /westray02.htm (1211 words)

	News Releases - Saint Mary's University
		The truth behind the Westray mine disaster that killed 26 miners in Nova Scotia remains a highly contested matter, and one which warrants an extensive study, according to Dr. John McMullan, who is a professor in the Sociology and Criminology Department at Saint Mary’s University.
		McMullan has just released a new book, News, Truth and Crime: The Westray Disaster and its Aftermath (Fernwood Publishing, 2005), which is an extensive and compelling study of how the media represented the events surrounding the Westray mine explosion and its aftermath.
		McMullan is the author and co-author of eight books on crime, law and justice, and of dozens of shorter works on business crime, historical criminology, policing and law enforcement, gambling and society, and the media and crime.
	www.smu.ca /newsreleases/2006/09-01-2006.html (471 words)

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