On June 17, a team representing Goldcorp’s Éléonore Project attended a ceremony in Ottawa where the mine was presented with the F.J. O’Connell Trophy for 2011 for its safety record.
The Éléonore project received the award under the category of “Underground operations with more than 400,000 hours”. Since 2009, Goldcorp’s policies have reduced the accident rate by around 75%.
Since 1966, the F.J. O’Connell Trophy rewards employers for their work in accident prevention along with promoting good occupational safety practices.
General Manager Guy Belleau said, “Since the beginning of various operations in 2006, people at the Éléonore site [have been] working hard to recognize workers’ initiatives in occupational health and safety.”
The Health and Safety Coordinator for the mining project, Jean-Guy Lévesque said, “Our policy, always, is to strictly enforce the rules governing worker safety. I would like to congratulate all of those who, every day, comply with these rules and make them a way of life, both for themselves and for their co-workers.”
The Éléonore project has already begun picking up steam ever since it received the certificate of authorization last November, along with the collaborative agreement signed with the First Nation of Wemindji, the Grand Council of the Crees, and the Cree Regional Authority in February.
Located in the northeast corner of the Opinaca Reservoir, the goldmine is projected to start production in 2014 with an approximate 15-year lifespan, which will boost employment levels for the locals in the James Bay region.
