Regina Leader-Post

Worker seriously hurt at Agrium potash mine

- ALEX MACPHERSON

A miner was airlifted to hospital in Saskatoon Sunday after suffering major injuries in the second undergroun­d accident this month at Agrium Inc.’s Vanscoy potash mine.

“He had serious injuries and had some surgery (Sunday) and he’s recovering from that surgery right now,” said Todd Steen, general manager of the mine, which is located about 30 kilometres southwest of Saskatoon.

Details about what caused the accident will be available when an investigat­ion is complete, but it is “not related” to the Aug. 8 incident that led to the death of 29-year-old Chad Wiklun, Steen said.

“It’s very unfortunat­e that we had another incident here, and we want to make sure we don’t have any more, and we want to make sure we get to the bottom of these.”

A STARS air ambulance responded to a call at 10:57 a.m. Sunday, and subsequent­ly flew a patient with a “medical emergency” to hospital in Saskatoon, according to a spokeswoma­n for the organizati­on.

A spokeswoma­n for the provincial Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety said in an email that its operationa­l health and safety branch is “reviewing” the accident, and that the ministry could not provide further comment.

The miner underwent surgery late Sunday and is expected to recover from his injuries, according to Darrin Kruger, president of United Steelworke­rs Local 7552, which represents workers at the mine.

“He’ll have a long road to recovery — anytime you have a serious injury that requires hospitaliz­ation and surgery, you’re not leaving the next day — but he will recover, that’s for sure,” Kruger said.

The mine recently returned to normal production after being temporaril­y shut down after the Aug. 8 accident, Steen said. Crews ventured undergroun­d on Monday, but the processing plant remains shut down, he added.

Kruger said the union is “definitely concerned” about what happened at the mine this month, noting the two accidents have been traumatic for every member of the tight-knit mining team.

“Any time these things happen, they have a very profound impact on people,” he said.

Citing respect for the family’s privacy, Kruger and Steen declined to identify the injured miner or elaborate on the nature and extent of his injuries. Both said the investigat­ion will reveal what happened.

The Vanscoy mine is Agrium’s only Saskatchew­an potash operation.

Wiklun suffered life-threatenin­g injuries when he was pinned between two large pieces of equipment around 2:45 a.m. on Aug 8. He died two days later.

In February 2014, a fire at the mine trapped more than 50 workers undergroun­d for about 15 hours until emergency crews were able to extinguish it.

In July 2013, Andrew Hann, a 25-year-old from Newfoundla­nd, died after falling about 20 metres from a steel scaffold at the mine. Hann was employed by a constructi­on company contracted to work on an expansion project.

Edward Artic, a 59-year-old electricia­n, died in the mine’s abovegroun­d mill in May 2010 when a load being lifted into the building struck his head.

In 2006, 29-year-old Paul Goddard’s spinal cord was severed when about 900 kilograms of rock fell on him, pinning him to a conveyor belt. Goddard was paralyzed from the waist down and suffered two broken arms.

Less than a week after Wiklun’s death, his mother, Angel Kostyk, told reporters that the accident didn’t have anything to do with the global agricultur­e company’s training regime, and urged miners to work safely.

“They work hard to keep their employees safe,” she said. “It’s the employees themselves that shouldn’t take the shortcuts. They have to learn to listen to what they have been taught.”

The impact of Wiklun’s death was etched on Celina Danis’s face when spoke with reporters last week, a few days after her partner of 13 years succumbed to his injuries. Her message was a simple one.

“Never leave without saying that I love you,” she said.

 ?? GREG PENDER ?? A worker at Agrium’s Vanscoy potash mine is being treated at a Saskatoon hospital for injuries he sustained Sunday. On Aug. 8, Chad Wiklun, 29, was injured in a mishap at the same mine and died two days later.
GREG PENDER A worker at Agrium’s Vanscoy potash mine is being treated at a Saskatoon hospital for injuries he sustained Sunday. On Aug. 8, Chad Wiklun, 29, was injured in a mishap at the same mine and died two days later.

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