A view of an open pit at the Diavik Diamond Mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Credit: Ben Nelms/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Canadian workers compensation body the WSCC has filed four criminal charges against Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine after a worker was seriously injured in an accident.

The Diavik mine, located in the North Slave Region of Canada’s Northwest Territories, has been charged by the WSCC with multiple counts of violations of the Mine Health and Safety Act. The allegations include a failure to implement and maintain safe work practices and failure to take every reasonable measure to protect the health and safety of its employees, as well as other offences, the WSCC said in a statement on Friday.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The charges were filed following an investigation by WSCC safety officers, launched after an incident at the mine on 26 January 2023, which resulted in a “serious worker injury”, the commission said but gave no further details.

The first court date is set for 19 March and will be held in Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

Rio Tinto told Reuters on Monday that the Diavik mine took the health and safety of its employees very seriously. It declined to comment further due to the criminal charges.

Two weeks ago, a plane carrying workers to the Diavik mine crashed, killing two flight crew and four Rio Tinto employees.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm said of the tragedy: “We are feeling numb with the devastating news that we have lost dear friends and colleagues. I extend our deepest sympathy to the families, friends and loved ones of those who have been affected by this tragedy.”

He added that the company will be working “closely with authorities over the coming days, weeks and months to support their efforts to understand the full facts of what has happened.”

In 2022, Rio Tinto reported zero fatalities and had an All Injury Frequency Rate – the number of all injuries per 2,000,000 hours worked – of 0.40, equal to that of the previous year. However, the company’s annual report said that in 2022, the number of potentially fatal incidents rose to 19 compared with 16 in 2021.