 All operations at Vale's Coleman Mine near Sudbury, Ont., have been temporarily suspended while the death of an employee over the weekend is investigated.
This is the third fatality at a Vale mine in the area in the past eight months.
The decision to shut down mine operations affects 1,500 employees, said Vale spokesman Cory McPhee. The employees will continue to receive 100 per cent of their pay while the investigation is ongoing, said McPhee.
The dead worker, a 47-year-old man, had been with the company for 16 years. He died Sunday when some rock fell on him as he was loading the face of the rock with explosives. The company is investigating why and how the rock was displaced, said McPhee.
"The roof was supported well," said McPhee. "All the guidelines and conditions were being followed . . . we take control very seriously," he said.
The employee, who had been working 4,200 feet underground, "was found and brought to surface, where he was subsequently pronounced dead by medical authorities," the company said in a statement.
The company said that while the man's immediate family had been told of his death, it was withholding his name while other loved ones were notified.
"We are saddened and devastated by the loss of this employee," said Kelly Strong, a company vice-president.
"Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to the employee's family, and everyone who knew and worked with him. Our efforts are now focused on supporting the family and our employees at the mine site, and on understanding exactly what occurred."
The investigation into the man's death is being carried out by the Greater Sudbury Police Services, the Ministry of Labour and representatives of Vale and the United Steelworkers Local 6500.
The earlier deaths occurred on June 8, 2011, when two employees were fatally injured while working underground at the 3,000-foot level of the company's Stobie Mine in Sudbury.
Sudbury is about 380 kilometres north of Toronto.
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Photo: CHRIS WATTIE, Reuters
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