Yellowknife (Dec 01/04) - Mining is dangerous. That's common knowledge, proven by the thousands of deaths that have occurred in mines over the years.

The NWT's diamond mines are no exception, but they are working to minimize the dangers of their industry.

Mining is assessed at the highest rate of any industry in the NWT, according to the Worker's Compensation Board. Employers in the industry must pay $5.60 to the WCB for every $100 they pay to their workers. WCB assessment rates are based on the entire history of an industry in the NWT. The rates are based on claims received by the WCB.

"If there's less accidents, there's less claims, and they have to pay less," said Shawn McCann, spokesperson for the WCB.

There are indications that NWT diamond miners are having success with safety. In June 2004, Diavik won the John T. Ryan Safety trophy for its low lost-time injury rating. Diavik beat out all other select mines in the territories and the four western provinces for this award, placing second in the country. It is the first diamond mine to win the award, which is given out by the WCB.

"To win this safety award in an early stage of operation is remarkable," said Sylvester Wong, the WCB's chief inspector of mines.

Over at Ekati mine, BHP Billiton's been winning safety awards, too. The mine rescue team there were the overall winners at the 2004 NWT and Nunavut Surface Mine Rescue Competition.

Denise Burlingame, spokesperson for BHP, said Ekati has a classified injury frequency of 5.65. That means the mine has had 5.65 accidents serious enough for the worker to miss the next shift over a million hours of work.

Burlingame attributes that to a culture of safety at the mine.

She said safety training starts with a three-day orientation -- before workers even start their first day on the job.

There are incentive programs along the way, too. Rewards for workers who have gone one year without an injury include gift certificates and a chance to win a trip to Edmonton. There are also weekly draws for prizes for accident-free workers.

Burlingame said the company promotes safety with a different theme every month -- proper lifting for back safety; avoiding slips, trips and falls; preventing hearing loss; and even nutrition.

"When you have an all-you-can-eat cafeteria, you want to encourage people to make healthy choices," said Burlingame, adding that BHP displays a nutritional analysis of all food available to workers.

The mine has its own emergency response team, including ambulances, fire trucks and mine rescue teams trained in surface and below ground rescues.

Anyone in Canada can refuse to work if they feel the job is unsafe. Burlingame said workers at Ekati are well aware of that fact.

"Up at the mine we empower our employees to stop a project if they deem it to be unsafe," she said.