[Summary translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]

A worker died in Yakutia due to fault of mining company management, 03 April 2022
In Yakutia, a worker died in a mine due to the fault of the management of a mining company, according to the Lensk Department of the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (Rostechnadzor). Eight months before the tragedy, officials of the company had been fined for failing to take measures to eliminate violations of industrial safety standards.

The accident occurred on 26 February this year at Verkhne-Menkeche underground mine located in Tomponsky district of Yakutia, owned by GeoProMining Verkhne Menkeche LLC.
As the inspectors found out, while carrying out a water pumping job on the transport slope number 1, a piece of rock detached from the roof of the excavation, as a result of which a miner of the underground geological exploration section was fatally injured.

The causes of the accident were: unsatisfactory organization and implementation of production control over compliance with industrial safety requirements during mining operations by the management and specialists of GeoProMining Verkhne Menkeche LLC; violation of the technological process, expressed in the performance of work in an unprepared and unsafe mine workings, as well as untimely control over changes in mining and geological conditions (a related cause).

Cases will be initiated against GeoProMining Verkhne Menkeche LLC and the guilty officials under Part 3 of Article 9.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which provides for liability for violation of industrial safety requirements or conditions of licenses for carrying out activities in the field of industrial safety of hazardous production facilities (fine for officials persons - from 20 to 30 thousand rubles or disqualification for a period of 6 months to 1 year, for legal entities a fine from 200 to 300 thousand rubles or administrative suspension of activities for a period of up to 90 days).

As SakhaNews previously reported, in June 2021, GeoProMining Verkhne Menkeche LLC and two senior officials of the company were held administratively liable by Rostechnadzor for inaction and failure to eliminate violations of industrial safety standards at the Verkhne Menkeche mine.

Then the amount of fines amounted to 800 thousand rubles, and safety violations were identified on transport slope number 1 of the Verkhne-Menkeche underground mine, where a worker died 8 months later in February of this year.