Don't get held-up . Prepare for theYear 2000 now!! For details on howthe Ontario Division Is taking onthe challenge see pages 4 and S. March 1998

PPDs minefrom surfaceby te1erernote :The Ontario Division

is making full use oftechnology to improve

production and safety.But there's been an added

benefit in the last year or so.Skilled miners are returning

to production work using thelatest in automation as part ofa Division-wide effort to makebetter use of employees who arePermanently Partially Disabled(PPD).

"It's good to be back miningagain."

That sums up how StanHolloway feels about being atele-remote scooptram opera-tor at Stobie Mine.

"This is more meaningfulwork," said the 25-year Incaemployee.

Stan injured his back atFrood Mine seven years ago andwas placed in PPD WW fslushers for the last year-and-a-half.

"Once you injure your backit's vulnerable to more injury,"he said.

Asa result he and othermin-ers hurt used to be put intoalternate work. Frequently that

work was away from the ac-tion, as miners see it.

"Nobody wants to sweep thefloorswhenthey`reexpetlencedminers by trade. After you'reinjured you still want to do thethings you used to do," Stansaid.

"I've got a class-A miner'scertificate. So its better to putme in a job like, this."

After two months of train-ing on the tele-remote equip-ment, Stan started his new jobas a "robo-miner." .

It's better for Stan. And it'sbetter for the Division as well.

"This is more meaningfulwork. Now Inco is utilizing itspeople more."

Stan added that he also feelsbetter about the work he doesbecause he's using his skills as aminer again.

:^ t3 t Wh tf= db *for a living."

Now he just does it fromsurface, remotely drivingscooptrams underground to orepasses from the relative com-fort of an office chair with tel-evision viewing screens acting

continued on page 2

Stephen Hawkingto visit SNOp rofessor Stephen

Hawking - the mostwell-known scientist in

the world - will be among theguests at the Sudbury NeutrinoObservatory (SNO) on the 6,800foot level of Creighton Minenext month.

The guest list of 150 includesother prominent scientists, rep-resentatives from Inco andAtomic Energy of Canada Ltd.(AECL), as well as representa-tives of government and indus-try from Canada , the UnitedStates and Great Britain.

Mr. Hawking will visit theSNO site on Tuesday, April 28,and will attend a reception atScience North that evening.He'll also attend the openingceremonies on Wednesday,April 29, which will include anoon luncheon at Creighton

Mine's surface facilities followedbythe official opening at 1 p.m.Tour§ of the underground labo-ratory are planned for laterthatday.

Once it's open, SNO willhouse the largest, most sophis-ticated neutrino detector in theworld.

Mr. Hawking, author of thebest-selling interpretation of thelatest theories of the universecalled A Brief History of Time, isa professor of mathematics atCambridge University.

SNO is part of a world-wideeffort to understand neutrinosand their emission from thesun. SNO will have the uniquecapability for neutrino meas-urements through the use of1,000 tonnes of heavy wateron loan from AECL with

continued on page 2

Ontario Division Vol. 57, No.3

Newer LHDs scoop up savings

North Mine Mechanic Lucien Tessier has worked on many a scoop Inhis 32 years with Inco . He's noticed that the newer , leased scoops, domore production work before they come back to him for repairs. Formore about the leasing of scooptrams please see pages 6-7.

urveyirng by a ir safer and cheap

2 March 1998

Automation gets PPDs back in miningcontinued from page 1

as his eyes. Cameras mountedon the scooptrams transmit livevideo images to the tele-remoteoffice on surface at Stobie.

People used to kid tele-re-mote miners that they werewatching TV for a living.

But Stan said people havemore respect for the job nowbecause they have seen a fewyears of positive results fromtele-remote drilling and scoop-tram operation.

"I used to run these machinesunderground manually. So nowit's just a matter of geography,"Stan added.

His cross-shift partner Rich-ard Bainard was also injuredon the job, but has enjoyed hisreturn to production work.

"The job I'm on now keepsme thinking all the time," said

Richard, also a tele-remotescoop operator.

Richard was a developmentminer in 1993 when an injuryrendered him unable to per-form heavy-duty jobs on a regu-lar basis.

He had been building tim-ber trucks since then as part ofhis PPD duties.

But for the last year he'sbeen on the cutting edge ofmining technology.

"It's a great skill to havethese days."

Plus, Richard said his 10-year-old son thinks his dad hasa cool job operating large scoopsfrom surface using video screensand remote controls.

"My son can't believe this iswhat I do for a living."

But it's more than a high-tech video game. Stan and Ri-

chard are mining ore in a waythat will continue to lower theDivision's production costs.

They are part of improvingthe process on the job as theyfind what methods work best intele-remote mining.

"It's getting more efficientby the day," Richard said.

Returning PPDs to produc-tion work or back to the workthey did before their injuriesapplies to more than just tele-remote miners, of course.

Jim Dunn recently returnedto working as a mechanic afterinjuring his arm in a liftingacci-dent three years ago.

He troubleshoots as a me-chanic now. But he still is handson in his work.

"I come up (from under-ground) dirty. I'm working as amechanic again. I enjoy it."

"This is more meaningful work," said 2S-year intoemployee Stan Holloway about being a tele -remotescooptram operator at Stobie Mine. Stan Injured hisback and was placed on the PPD list but he has recentlyreturned to mining work as part of a Division-wideeffort.

Hawking arrives at SNO in Creighton

During the next three months the detector , shown here still under construction atCreighton Mine's 6,800 -foot level , will be filled with 7,000 tonnes of ultrapure waterin the outer region , and 1 ,000 tonnes of heavy water within the acrylic vessel at thedetector 's centre. While the detector is filled, calibration procedures will be carriedout to prepare for neutrino observations when the detector Is full, which is expectedby the end of June 1998.

continued from page 1the cooperation of Ontario Hy-dro.

The SNO detector will pro-vide definitive measurements ofthe energy-generation processespowering the sun, as well as un-veiling the fundamental proper-ties of the neutrino, one of thebasic building blocks of nature.

Funded by federal and pro-vincial agencies in Canada, aswell as by the United Statesand Great Britain, SNO is be-ing constructed and operatedby a collaboration of over 70scientists from 12 institutionsin the three countries.

During the last severalmonths, the final assemblysteps for the observatory havebeen carried out.

On Jan. 28, the last of the9,500 light sensors for the detec-torwere installed at the bottomofageodesicsphere,18metresindiameter,. in the SNO cavity.Designed by the SNO groupfrom Lawrence Berkeley Na-tional Laboratory, in Berkeley,Calif., and installed under theirsupervision, the light-sensor

- NICKEL WORLD NEWS -Falconbridge Ltd.

plans to close its Kidd Creekcopper smelter in Timminsfor two weeks startingMarch 30. Productionproblems at the adjacentKidd Creek Mine necessi-tated the shutdown, saidan executive withNorunda Inc., which owns47.5 per cent of Falcon-bridge. Parts of the minehave been unsafe to workin and production hasbeen hampered for somefour months because alarge wedge of rock shifted.

Indochina GoldfieldsLtd. has announced that itscopper deposit in Burma iscapable of producing150,000 tonnes of coppercathode a year. The Singa-pore-bused company re-ported that a study shows

the project can be developed asa low-cost, large-scale coppermine.

Toronto-based RegionalGoldfields Ltd. has said it willappeal a Nova Scotia court de-cision that prevents it from ex-ploring and mining in JimCampbell's Barren, a wildernessarea in Cape Breton.

CaribGold Resources Inc.has bought 600,000 specialwarrants of Goldeye Explora-tion Ltd. in a private transac-tion that, if exercised, wouldgive it a 17.6 per-cent stake in theThornhill, Ontario-basedGoldeye.

French nickel producerErarnet reports that output atits Doniambo nickel smelter inNew Caledonia reached 54,892tonnes in 1997, an increase of

three percentcomparedto 1996.The plant's production capac-ity now exceeds 57,000 tonnes.

Noranda Inc . has reporteda 77 per cent increase in itsfourth quarter profit. Norandais also planning to spin off twodivisions to shareholders.

RAO Norilsk Nickel, theworld's second-largest producer,is looking to reduce exports andsell more metal at home thisyear as the price of its productson world markets slumps. Rus-sian nickel exports grew by 32.7per cent to 201,000 tonnes be-tween January and Novemberof 1997, reports Infomine in itslatest quarterly issue on the min-ing industry.

et,

Australia's QNI and BillitonPLC have implemented a jointventure to explore for nickel sul-

phides on a worldwide basis.

Japan's Hitachi Metals Co.will expand production at itsYasugi plant. The move will liftthe company's nickel consump-tion 20 per cent above currentlevels at more than 10,000 met-ric tons per year, a companyofficial said.

The Indonesian governmenthas given the go-ahead for aBroken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd. ma-jority-owned project to produce40,000 tonnes of nickel and3,600 tonnes of cobalt a yearstarting in 2001. Broken Hill's OKTedi copper and gold mine inPapua, New Guinea, meanwhile,is about to restart normal pro-duction after a seven-monthdrought caused low river waterlevels preventing it from ship-ping its copper concentrate,

array is a key component of theSNO detector. The light sensorswill record tiny light flasheswhich signify a neutrino inter-action in the heavy-water coreof the detector.

After this installation, theremainder of the constructionequipment was removed fromthe underground cavity, thepolyurethane cavity liner sealwascompleted, andafinaldean-ingtook place. The lastentranceat the bottom of the cavity will besealedduring the nextweek Thedetector will be ready to be filledwith water before the end ofMarch.

During the next threemonths the detector will befilled with 7,000 tonnes ofultrapure water in the outerregion, and 1,000 tonnes ofheavy water within theacrylic vessel at the detec-tor's centre.

While the detector is filled,calibration procedures will becarried out to prepare for neu-trino observations when thedetector is full, scheduled forthe end of June 1998.

Catalyst Ventures Corp.has received a positive engi-neering report on its WedzaMountain gold mining prop-erty, in the Eastern Highlandsof Zimbabwe. Pervasive freegold has been readily foundover a strike length of about1.3 km in the focus area of thereport. At current prices it rep-resents a gross value of SUS238 million. Contained silverwould increase this value.

The Yugoslav copper pro-ducer RTB Bor has enteredinto a seven-year co-operationand financing agreement withGreek metals traderMytilineos Holdings (MH)whereby MH will invest $44million (US) as a major contri-bution to the cost of expand-ing and upgrading Bor's smelt-ing capacity. At last month's

continued on page 3

The Triangle 3

Aerial surveying cuts costs and boosts safelyA wave of mapping and

surveying is sweepingthrough or rather fly-

ing over the Ontario Division.Photogrammetric or aerial

surveys are proving to be moresafe and less costly than tradi-tional ground-level mappingand surveying.

"We're doing lower-levelflights to get more accuracy insurveying. It's the better way togo. We're going to go this wayfrom now on,"said Trevor Ross,engineer in training with FieldEngineering and Surveying.

Photogrammetric surveysare used for site plans, erectingbuildings and road construction.

By combining an aerial pho-tograph with an accurate mapcalled a Digital Terrain Model(DTM) a photogrammetric im-age is created. The image lookslike an aerial photo, with oneexception - there is no distor-tion, everything is proportion-ate.

"Digital Terrain Models(DTM) give the shape of theland. And it's cheaper than tra-ditional surveying with a crewof three people," Trevor said.

"Now when the aerial photoand associated data (such asDTM) comes back in the office,one person does the calcula-tions."

Inco surveying and mappingusing photogrammetric tech-nologies is currently applied toopen pit mine volume calcula-tions and as an alternative totraditional survey methods fordata collection.

But potential applications ofthe technique are plentiful andrepresent a more efficient use ofpeople and funds. Other appli-cations include:• Tailings Area - For volume

calculations and planning• Slag Dump-Volumes, moni-

toring and planning• Haulage roads - Planning

and design• Field layout and design• Smelter stockpile inventories• Aggregate Pit inventory.

Trevor points out there areseveral benefits to photo-grammetric mapping and sur-veying.

In terms of safety, surveyorscan avoid working in hazard-ous environments, such as pitswith steep and high cliffs, be-cause the new system minimizesthe need for such field work.

Photogrammetric surveyslower costs because fewer em-ployee hours are required to dothe same work, he said.

Results of the aerial map-ping and surveying can be cal-culated and available withindays depending on the size ofthe project, compared to takingweeks in the traditional method.

"Traditional surveying re-sults in more accurate pointshots, accurate to 0.001 feet. Butwhen using aerial mapping weget many more data points andtherefore we get a more accu-rate shape of the land, resultingin more accurate volumes."

A better definition ofe landis presented with aerial photog-raphy, compared to measure-ments taken between points ofreference at ground level.

There's no need to climb pilesof material orto navigate edges ofcliffs and other points of refer-ence. Individual measurementssimply aren't as accurate as

Photogrammetric surveys are used for site plans, erecting buildings and road construction . By combining anaerial photograph with an accurate map called a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) a photogrammetric Image Iscreated . The Image looks like an aerial photo, with one exception - there is no distortion , everything isproportionate.

aerial photography.An aerial photograph can

be repeatedly checked back atthe office unlike the originalmeasurements taken in the field,which have to be accepted asaccurate:.

Trevor has compared the costof doing a ground-level surveyto doing an aerial survey, usingGertrude Pit as his example. Atraditional on-the-ground sur-vey, in this example, would cost$25,200 plus $9,000 worth ofcomputer work for a total of$34,200. It should be noted thatthis represents a yearly costwhich includes surveying thepit and surrounding rock piles

cardnued from page 2signing ceremony in Bel-grade, the president of theGreek company, EvangelosMytilineos, described theagreement as a strategic alli-ance that is expected to yielda turnover of some $1 billion(US), based on current cop-per, gold and silver prices.

QNI Ltd. reports that ithas got approval from theCuban government to ex-plore and assess the SanFelipe nickel project in Cuba.QNI is the second Australiannickel miner to set up activi-ties in Cuba, following WMCLtd., which signed a deal todevelop the Pinares deMayan West nickel depositin Holguin province in east-ern Cuba.

Austria's Treibacher In-dustryAG plans to maintainferronickel production at itsAustrian smelter, despitenickel prices and a relativelylow amount of production.

four times.An aerial survey, mean-.

while, costs less than half thatwith a $13,600 survey plus$2,000 in computer work for atotal of $15,600.- No*, don't get thi idea thisis an easy process.

After the aerial photogra-phy is done, then the real workbegins.

The photogrammetric proc-ess takes aerial photographsand known ground-controlpoints and measures and ob-serves the shape and contentsof the land. The accuracies thatcan be obtained depend on vari-ous factors such as: photo-

graphic scale; camera type; Such details as the angle ofmeasuring device; operatorskill; the sun become important intype of terrain; sun angle; v determining distances. The abil-ground control quality; preci- ity of reading the ground in asion; and positioning. shadow can be greatly reduced

Understanding these factors especially if the photography istthd how-they offect the overall done in black and white andprecision is essential to getting not in color.accurate results. A wrong com- On one hand, the fewerbination can render the infor- shadows in a photograph thematron useless. more dear is it. But on the other

The photogrammetric proc- hand, no shadows - as a resultess relies, for one thing, on more of a cloudy sky - can reduce thethan one photo making up the definition of the ground sur-picture that is used by an engi- face.neer to decipher the measure- As in many aspects of thements. Many details must be mining industry, human ex-taken into account to get accu- pertise is the deciding factor torate figures. achieving success.

-NICKEL WORLD NEWS-

South Crofty HoldingsLtd. of Vancouver closed itstin mine in Cornwall, Eng-land, in early March saying itwas no longer economicallyviable.

Cancor Mines Inc. ofMon-treal has formed a strategic al-liance with Coleraine MiningResou rces ofRouyn-Noranda,Que., to pool chrome-bearingproperties in Quebec. Cancorreports that the alliance willenable both mining companiesto maximize theirasset valueduring the next demand in-crease for chrome.

Sherritt Int . Corp. in-creased production of mixednickel-cobalt sulfides at itsMoo Bay plant in Cuba to26,512 metrictonnes in 1997,compared with 26,034 met-ric tonnes the year before.

Australia's jubilee GoldMines has announced401,000 metric tonnes at 8.2

per cent nickel in its first re-source estimate for its Cosmosnickel sulphide discovery southof Mt. Keith.

Royal Oak Mines Inc. needsabout $85 million before April18 to complete its $427 millionKemess gold and copper mineor will have to temporarily stopthe project. Royal Oak said it isin technical default on USS44million in bonds. The B.C. gov-ernment, meanwhile, has or-dered Royal Oak Mines to stopwork at the vital tailings area ofKemess. The order followed apaymentdispute between RoyalOak and Knight Piesold Ltd.,the Vancouverengineering firmhired to provide managementsystems for the mine' s wastedisposal pond.

Placer Dome Inc. has statedthat it is not part of any planwith othergold-producing com-panies to buy bullion from cen-tral banks or other marketparticipants to influence goldmarket prices. The Vancouver-

based company said it hasconfidence in the long-termfuture of gold and that cen-tral banks will retain gold asa significant percentage oftheir reserves . Placer was re-acting to a Barron 's newspa-per report that the gold pro-ducer was part of a plan withother companies to buy bul-lion to prop up sagging goldprices.

Rio Algom Ltd. and pnrt-ner Inmet Mining Corp.have confirmed that theirjoint Antamina copper-zincproject in Peru is feasible andwould cost $2.2billion (US) todevelop. Under terms of a de-velopment agreement withthe Peruvian government,the two Toronto-based com-panies must decide whetherto proceed with what wouldbe the world's seventh larg-est copper producer by Sept.6, 1998. Rio Algom may in-crease its stake if Inmet de-cides to sell part or all if itsinterest.

4 March 1998

Inco people get ready as YearYear, 2400xSharing theresponsibilityA message from theOntarioDivision President

The Ontario Division will be Year2000 compliant intime to welcome thenew millennium. Itis a significant chal-lenge, butnot anin,surmountable prob;-lem. There are dedi-cated people doing:both the ,necessaryplanning and workto ensure operationscontinue withoutinterruptiononJan.1, 2000, The, great-estchallenge-apartfrom the technical'. _and management,side ^ - is creatingawareness:. of the,business implications of the Year'2000 issue and enlasting everyone inthe Division to supsport the solutions':,,

Successfully ; ad-dressing Year 2000challenges relies onyour participation.Think about" yourwork environment, -how it.might be af-fected and whatmight be done tomake it Year 2000

.compliant. This ap-plies to both the of-fice environmentand also, criticallyto computer con-trolled equipmentin the mines andplants.

The Inco Trian-gle will devote aregular, column tothe Year 2000 issuefor the duuratio ,,o1th pr±o jecu l couldencourage ,you ,toad, ut, the is-;es, "discuss, the .

topicwith.Qthers inthe workplace and .totrackourprogressthrough. articles in,,,the Triangle.

Sincerely,

"If you can sleep atnight you don't under-stand the problem."

This frequentlyquoted phrase of Year2000 wisdom underlinesthe seriousness of theYear 2000 issue.

In brief, the source ofthe problem is an oldprogramming conven-tion which may causecomputers to mistake theyear 2000 for the year1900 unless fixed. Com-puters, their programsand computer-control.,led equipment have the,,potential to bring busi-nesses to an abrupt haltbecause they aren'tready for the centurychange.

It's not just a compu-ter or information tech-nology problem. And it'scertainly not just an Incoproblem.

This is big.In Canada, the total

cost of becoming Year2000 compliant, theability to process datesinvolving the Year 2000,is estimated at $30 bil-lion to $50 billion.

"The Year 2000 bugcould cost the UnitedStates about $119 billionin lost economic outputbetween now and 2001, ",stated the March 2 issueof Business Week.

Inco's recently issued1997 Annual Report

get into this mess any- Ontario Division does,"way? said Marc.

Well the answer, un- "It affects purchasinglike the solution, is sim- and contracts. It affectspleenough. office and plant func-

Had computers Lions. Those- who arestarted with four-digit hoping the problem willyear fields, expressing the simply blow over with-year 1998 for example out incident are in for awith four digits instead costly surprise," heof simply as 98, there added.would be no Year,2000 The road to compli-problem. ance is an extraordinar-

Thirtyyearsago when ° : iiy painstaking route., Itcomputers struggled with requires inventories of alllimited Und expensive computers , software,storage and memory -de- and equipment. Thosevoting four digits toiden. that are identified astify the year seemed ri- `critical' - necessary for'diculous. business survival - must

The.'technical gurus he Investigated;to deter-of, the' day firmly N be- mine whether they arelieved`thattheprograms compliant. This meansthey developed would be contacting themanufac-replaced long before the turers or suppliers ofcentury rolled over. these products and very

Unfortunately, many often actually testingofthese systems were not products by giving themreplaced . Compounding a selection of futuredatesthe problem, subsequent to process. "developers stuck with the When it comes timetwo-digit year field in to track down non-com-order to be compatible pliant dates in the code,with earlier programs, locating them is not asleaving the time bomb simple as one might ex-of a two-digit date field pect and is further com-ticking ominously to- plicated by their vastward the Year 2000. numbers.

The other reason the No business is an is-world is in this Year 2000 land in the modem worldfix has nothing to do so Inco's success dependswith technology, but not only on achievingrather human nature . Year 2000 compliancePeople everywhere pro- within itsown operations,crastinated. but also within the sup-

gives a current figure of The Year 2000 always ply chain and among its$16 million (US) to seemed so faraway. How : customers.achieve compliance. Many people ever used. In addition to the

It is predicted that or.4even heard the word Year 2000Project Office,worldwide expenses millennium before 1995 three subproject teamscould hit $600 billion or sa? (Business Systems, In-according to the Gartner',, .. , Industries- and gov-, dustrial Equipment, andGroup, a business andindustry analyst service.There is even a predic-tion that the stock mar-ket will fall 60 per cent.

What makes Year2000 particularly vexingis that it affects bothcomputers and the em-bedded processors builtinto all sorts of modemequipment, from auto-mated factory equip-

ernments anticipated End-user Computing)that applications devel- are managing the proc-oped two or three dec- ess of identifying all criti-ades ago would be re- cal computer programsplaced well before the and computer-affectedYear 2000 - but here we equipment.are with 21 months to Another, Supplygo and we're still using Management, is tacklingthose same applications. the question of supplier

Suddenly the Year compliance and a par-2000 is not some distant allel project, the Com-time in the future. pany-wide Network

ment to cars to cellular WHAT ARE WEphones. DOING AT

"It is a global prob- INCO?lem which has the po-tential to take lives andkill businesses," saidMarc Beaulne, Year2000 Project managerfor Inco's Ontario Divi-sion.

The inability of com-puters to handle the mil-lennium change, fromDec. 31, 1999 to Jan. 1,2000, affects every as-pect of our lives - athome and at work.

So how did the world

What happens after Jan. 1, 2000?The hope is that the only noteworthy event

will be a Division-wide sigh of relief as it isrealized that all critical systems are functioning.

However, due to the complexity of the prob-lem, it is realistic to expect that some smallglitches may occur.

Until mid-1999, the focus is on critical sys-tems. Less critical systems will be addressed astime permits in 1999 and on into 2000.

Inco was one of thefirst Canadian corpora-tions out of the startingblock in the race to Year2000 compliance. Incoaccepted the millenniumchallenge in 1996 andthe project is now wellunderway with the highpriority items scheduledto be compliant by thesummer of 1999.

TheOntario Divisionhas established a Year2000 Project Office toplan and to coordinatethe task of identification,evaluation, implemen-tation and testing of therequired changes.

"A massive amountof effort is required be-fore the millenniumdeadline arrives. That'sa deadline that can't bemoved. The work ishighly detailed andtouches everything the

Project, is looking at per-sonal computers (PCs)and network servers.

Industrial EquipmentThe Industrial Equip-

ment Year 2000 team isworking closely with theplants and mines wherecomputer chips are hid-ing in a vast array ofdevices and machinery.Plant employees are car-rying out inventoriesand assessing the relativecritical natures of all proc-esses.

"We have to findwhere the problem ex-ists. Everything with amicroprocessor, or whichis managed by comput-ers, including controlsystems for many essen-tial processes and laband industrial equip-ment must be investi-gated. Drives on theskips, hoists, fire suppres-sion systems and airquality monitoring sys-tems are among our tar-

gets," said David'Vitone, industrial equip-ment team leader.

Roy Manning, main-tenance planner, likenedthe Oxygen Plant's Dis-tributed Control System(DCS) to the lungs of theSmelter operation. Hepointed out that if we losecontrol over the oxygensupply to the smelting

Information Session,Henry made a presenta-tion about the impact ofYear 2000, stressing theimportance of address-ing the issue and alert-ing suppliers that theywill be asked to com-plete a survey which as-sesses their Year 2000plans.

process, all plants would End-user Computingcease to breatheazldhave The End-user Com-to be shut down. putingsubprojectfocuses

Testingofequipment on all users of computersthat has been identified no matter where theyas critical cheduled work in the Division.for this sutnmoes shutw Users understand bestdown . The fingl phases which programs areof the project, involve most important to theiridentifying the best rem', operation so they will beedies for rioa-pompliant asked to identify whichequipment; implement. software programs areing the solutions; and critical to their opera-testing everything to en- ti,on. These could be

_,,sure.-the :equipment databases, spreadsheetsworks ,as exp ed. The another programs. Eachtarget` completion date department or plant willto have critical and non-' ``also determine which ofcritical equipment meet these will not functioncompliance standards is at the millennium roll-the end of 1999. over and be responsible

"Understanding and for making any changesawareness are our pri- required to achieve com-mary hurdles. To main- pliance. The End-usertain projected level, 'of Computing team willprofitability,everyCem - provide guidanceployee must,support the throughout the process.program. Everyone must One of the first tools theunderstand thedangerof team will offer is a sug-not meetirtg the'deadline gested set of criteria toand everyone must un - assist indetermining criti-derstand the ,danger "of i` calprograms.using equipment, whichis not Year 2000,compli-ant," David stressed.

Supply Managementj,The SupplyManage:-

1usiness Systemsf The Business Systems

team is addressing the com-pliance of the Division-wide programs whichmanage such functions asmeat subproject corn-

municating with suppleers of goods and servicesto the Ontario Divisionto determine whetherany link in the supplychain is at risk.

In order to do busi-ness with Inco, . suppli-ers and contractors to theDivision must demon-strate that they haveplans to ensure they willbe in business in the Year2000 and that their prod-ucts can handle datesafter Dec.- 31, 1999.

"A problem with asupplier not being whatis called Year 2000 com-pliant can become amajor problem for theDivision," explainedHenry Salach, Inco Pur-chasing agent and oneof the leaders of the Year2000 Project.

"For example, if asupplier of a criticalproduct such as soda ashwas unable to deliver,then we would experi-ence serious operationaland production setbacks."

By the end of March,Purchasing will, add aclause to all purchaseorders and RFP's. (Re-quests for Proposal),which specifies thatproducts shipped to On-tario Division must beable to handle date cal-culations involving theYear 2000. On March 3,at the Annual Supplier

payroll, hazardous materi-als, time reporting, benefits,staffrecords, vacations andsome plant informationsystems.

Thirty-three systemshave been identified ashigh and medium prior-ity and these represent awhopping 2.4 millionlines of code.

The project is pro-gressing on schedule,having completed theinventory and assess-ment phases and is nowinvolved in convertingthe code to handle thenew century.

The target date forcompletion ofthese 33 sys-tems is Dec . 1, 1998. Thecore team of eight will becalling upon expert usersof these systems to assistwith the testing phasewhich will begin sometime in April.

"No interruptions toany systems are expectedwhile they are being in-vestigated , convertedand tested . Our workshould be invisible tousers," said HarryHawkins , Business Sys-tems team leader.

Company-WideNetwork Project

Sean Romenco headsup Ontario Division'scomponent of the Com-pany-Wide NetworkProject.

The Triangle 5

2000 deadline draws nearerStarting in March

1998, all networked PCsand servers will be up-graded to complianthardware, operatingsystems and standardsoftware tools. Thisproject is expected to becomplete by October1999.

Want more Year 2000information?

If you wantmoreinfor-mation on this topic checkout the November 1997 is-sue of Triangle. And if youare hooked up to the Inter-net, have a look at one ofthe best Year 2000 sites:http://www.year2000.com.Your local library canalso locate articles,which have appearedrecently in popularmagazines.

What doesYear 2000compliance reallymean?

The Ontario Divisionof Inco Limited hasadopted this definitionof compliance:

• "Year 2000 compli-ant means the ability ofinformation technol-ogy, including withoutlimitation hardware,software and firmware:

• To correctly and ac-curately, process, pro-vide and/or receive, in-cluding without limita-,tion calculating, com-paring and sequencing,date and time datafrom, into and betweenthe 20th and 21s' centu-ries and the years 1999and 2000, includingwithout limitation leapyear calculations; and

• To accurately proc-ess date and time data,when used in combina-tion with otherinforma-tion technology, if theother information tech-nology properly ex-changes date and timedata with such informa-tion technology."

In practical daily ter-minology, this means:

• Handle date infor-mation before, during

How does `-this affect me?Year 2 readiness ' is everyone 's problem.It may affect your , home, your workplace,

your recreation . The issue is one that could touchvirtuallyeveryaspectof our lives , if not success-fully remedied.

Safety is a concertThe compliance,^.of equipment or programs

which Impact safety Is a first priority for theOntario Division.

r;Your-work is an issue . This is a business-threatening problem.

"The success of this project depends on thelnvvolvetnent, commitment and vigilance of allemployees," said Marc Beaulne , Year 2000Project. manager.

"It is impossible to expect the Year 2000 teamsto identify all of the problems so we are counting

n everyone to bring anything they suspect maynot hove been investigated to the attention oftheir supervisor or e-mail Year 2000 . Ask your-self, 'What can I do to help solve this problem?'"

and after midnightDec. 31, 1999.

• Function accu-rately and without in-terruption before, dur-ing and after Jan. 1,2000 without anychange in operationsassociated with the ad-vent of the new cen-tury.

• Respond to two-digit year date input ina way that resolves theambiguity as to thecentury in a, disclosed,defined and predeter-mined manner . Inter-

facing software mustmake the same centuryassumptions whenprocessing two-digityears.

• Process 2000 as aleap year.

• Correctly handledate fields containingnon-date informationand correctly handle adate held in a non-field

• Correctly processany date with a yearspecified 99 and 00 re-gardless of other sub-jective meanings at-tached to these values..

I Advantages of winning the Year 2000 race?An important factor for Inca is that companies which are on schedule to

solve the Year 2000 problem have a marketing advantage.Companies that successfully meet the deadline will not only continue inbusiness, but also have a competitive edge.They will have replaced, upgraded or fixed all essential systems and

equipment. They will have inventories and evaluations of programs andequipment and will have streamlined operations by eliminating the non-essential.

Year 2000 war storiesA petroleum company ran Year 2000 tests on an oil-and-gas production

platform in the North Sea. In a simulation, an essential safety system fordetecting harmful gases such as hydrogen sulfide got confused and shutdown.

Produce Palace, a grocery near Detroit, sued the vendor of its point-of-sale and inventory system after the computer crashed more than 100 timestrying to process credit cards with a Year 2000 expiry date.

4f*

For Marks & Spencer, the nightmare began with a tin of corned beefrejected on the grounds that it was 96 years out of date. The store is nowauditing their 700-plus suppliers for compliance.

British Telecom has given its 1,800 core suppliers a warning that it willI stop doing business with companies who can 't guarantee their internal ITsystems are Year 2000 compliant.

tr*

How to reach the Year 2000 Team

The U.S. Defence Depart-ment's Global Commandand Control Systemflunked a Year 2000rollovertestin 1997. In 10

of the 28 demos, eitherthe software expiry datewas activated or the ma-

chines froze.

Lufthansa announcedthat concern about the reli-ability of air traffic control

I systems and the legal risks hasled them to ground flights fora 24-hour period between Dec.

Y. .. 31, 1999 and jun. 1, 2000.

Inco's Year 2000 commitmentIf'you would like more information or have comments about the Inco "The company's operations are large andYear 2000 Project please e-mail Year2000. This address is valid for both MS complex and computer systems and equipmentExchange and mainframe e-mail. You ate also welcome to call any of the are used extensively to accomplish thousands ofproject leaders listed: tasks ranging from-carrying out operations in

the field to reporting financial results.The Company Initiated a program in 1996 toInco's. Year 2000 Team

assess and address its overall vulnerability toProject ManagerTeam Leaders and Champions

Marc Beaulne x 8634 'Year 2000' computer-related date Issues for Itsworldwide operations In light of its dependenceon information technology,, the sophisticationBusiness Systems Harry Hawkins x 5363 of its computer systems turd Its interaction withIndustrial Equipment David Vitone x 5329 third parties.. This program will ensure that thecoin pany's : business systems ; and industrialEnd-user Computing Carol Eles x 6044equipment, Including relationships with suppli-Supply Management Henry Salach x 5438 ers, continue to work effectively and accuratelyCompany-wide Network Project. Sean Romenco x 5825 through the century date change," - Inco 1997Annual Report

Enter the Year 2,000 ContestThe Year 2000 Project is looking for a logo to raise awareness of the Year2000 problem: The logo will appearorf a poster distributed throughout the

Ontario Division and may appear on other Year 2000publications TheInco logo is not being redesigned; this Is a special logo for the OnttlrloDivision Year 2000 Project.Here's how, to enter:• Send your logo design to David Braaeau , Public Affairs, In

Copper Cliff, ON, POM1NO.All entries should be on 8 1/2' x 11 " paper .

Limited,

• Put your name , address and phone number on a separate piece of paper.Do not put your name on the artwork,• Any media maybe used (crayons, Ink, watercolor etc.)Prizes• First prize -A Hewlett-Packard Pentium computer with MSOffice95 andone-year access to the Internet.• Second prize - A family pass to Science North for one year This prize isawarded on the basis of a, draw.

Who is eligible?• Employees, pensioners, their children and grandchildren are eligible,• Year 2000 Project -Officemembers are not eligible.• The winner of the computer is not eligible for the second prize draw.Deadline for Entries ; April 17 at 4:30 p .m.. Winners will be notified April 22.

Inco 's Year 2000 PrioritiesThe mission of the Year 2000 Project is to ensure that the effect of the Year

2000 will:Cause no Divisional safety or environmental incidentsHave no impact on our customers andHave minimal impact on cost and production.

Year 2000 FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: What can I do to help Inco become Year 2000 compliant?A: Don't assume someone else will identify a potential Year 2000 problem

in your work environment. Read Inco's Year 2000 updates in Triangle, speakwith your supervisor about how you can get involved.

Q: Is it okay for me to answer questions from outside sources (e.g.suppliers) about Year 2000?

A: No! Because of the complexity of the problem and the potential legaland financial ramifications all inquiries from outside parties should bedirected to the appropriate Year 2000 Team Leader.

Q: What if I'm asked about how prepared Inco is for Year 2000?A: You can say with confidence that Inco was one of the earliest Canadian

corporations to plan its attack on the so-called 'millennium bug' and thatthe Ontario Division's plan is well underway.

6 March 1998

Production is improved, costs way do

(graphic by Jiggs Sauve - Inco)Load Haul Dump (LHD) scooptram productivity has increased 46 per cent since 1986 - much of that improvementcan be attributed to the use of newer, leased scooptrams since 1992.

Leasing is better thanowning at least whenit comes to scooptrams

and other underground equip-ment.

Leasing the large under-ground ore haulers, which cancost about $800,000 each, al-

Richard Riach

lows Inco mines to get moreproduction with fewer repairs.

That's because the leased,newer machines are thosemost utilized.

The scoop operators appre-ciate the value of using newerscoops on the job every day.

"When you'd bring in oneof the older ones for a repair,it would take five days insteadof one day because the me-chanics would always findmore to fix on them. The newones we lease now are only infor a day or less when they

need a repair," said GeorgeLeduc, production miner atNorth Mine.

In his 28 years with Inco,he's found that like a car, anew scooptram is more reli-able and does a better job thanan old one.

"We used to keep themuntil they were 10 years old ormore. The metal would crack.We'd keep them until theyhad metal fatigue," Georgesaid.

"They'll save us moneybecause the newer scoopsspend more time making pro-duction instead of being in forrepairs."

And that, of course, is thewhole point of moving fromowning and maintaining ourown fleet of scooptrams infavor of leasing new ones andreplacing them every fewyears, said Len Kitchener,senior advisor in Mines Re-search, which manages thereplacement of scoops.

The same sort of savingsapply to other leased, ratherthan owned, equipment in theDivision such as jumbo drills,tractors, shotcrete equipmentand explosives loaders.

"We don't keep the equip-ment for an excessively longtime. Replacement isplanned," Len said.

"The leases with suppliersare like partnerships-becauseafter the lease expires on anLHD (Load Haul Dump scoop-tram) then it returns to them,"Len said.

"These partnerships withsuppliers are saving us money

because there's an onus onthem to encourage the bestmaintenance practices," hesaid.

At Stobie Mine 12 leasedLHDs have been in use sincelate 1992 and the mine hasseen savings of $10.72 mil-lion in addition to majormaintenance cost reductions,compared with owningscooptrams.

Here's how that extra totalbreaks down:

• $6.46 million in operat-ing costs

• $400,000 in inventorysavings

• $1.25 million in garageexpense savings

• $2.61 million saved incapital rebuilds that were notrequired.

Dave Neilson, senior in-dustrial evaluator, explained,

"We get rid of the equipmentwhen we should get rid of itnow for financial reasons. Wedon't have to put out big buckson major components."

Suppliers now keep expen-sive spare major components,such as $40,000 axles, insteadof Inco having to warehousethem, Dave added.

New during the last twoyears to the leasing programis a supplier's guarantee ofmaintenance-cost levels,which will also help reducecosts, Len said.

Leasing of LHDs, orscooptrams, started in theOntario Division in 1992 andis now the norm at all mineswhen it comes to acquiring anew unit.

"Another good thing thathappens is that the equipmentbecomes more uniform be-

Len Kitchener

The Elphinstone LHD scoopticonsistency and availability 4Division, as managed by Min

cause its all relatively new,"said Richard Riach , seniorspecialist with Mines Research.

. "And everybody from op-erations to maintenance likeshaving equipment that ismore available for use," Rich-ard said.

There's simply more pro-duction made from eachnewer scoop.

North Mine mechanicLucien Tessier said he doesn'tsee the same scoop cominginto his garage as often as heused to only a few years ago,when Inco bought its ownscoops and kept them as longas possible.

"The older ones used to rununtil they were cracked. Whenour scoops got older they'd bein here every second day," saidthe 32-year Inco employee.

• Good maintenance of oldequipment can only do somuch, but even in that regardNorth Mine has had the ad-vantage of an excellent main-

The Triangle 7

in - thanks to new, leased scooptrams

a favorite among operators who appreciate therer equipment provided through the leasing policy of the;earth.

Mechanic Lucien Tessiervery much approves ofthe leased equipment.He said leasing allowsInco to have much newerscooptrams ' in use andthat translates intofewer repairs and moreproduction.

LEASING VERSUS OWNINGThere are several cost reductions as a result of leasing scooptrams, rather than

owning. Among them are:• Saves capital.• Fewer rebuilds - New machines last longer and are more reliable than those

owned and kept in service longer.• Lower fuel and tire costs versus those of a larger mixed fleet - Due to increased

machine productivity.• Maintenance labor and materials costs - Reduced as a result of fewer repairs and

breakdowns.• Capital spares reduced - Suppliers are now responsible for capital inventory.• Makes suppliers more accountable-This has resulted in performance guarantees

and made suppliers interested in the maintenance of equipment that will return tothem.

;eMakes mines more accountable - The leased scoops are listed as an operatingexnse for each mine and there is an obligation to return them in good operatingcondition.

Production Miner George Leduc, also of North Mine, said he and other scooptramoperators get a lot more use out of the equipment before its tied up Inmaintenance or repair work . It's like having a new car, George said. The newerscoops just run longer and better.

- BRIEFS -

tenance program.Having new equipment

is also more safe, in terms ofdaily operations but also inrepairs, said Tim Lauber,safety supervisor at NorthMine.

"When you don't havepeople crawling all over theequipment all the time,there's fewer chances for in-juries from getting handspinched and that kind ofthing."

George also appreciatesthe safety value of having anewer scoop to operate.

"I like the cabs on them."Richard said the cabs

make fora "much nicer work-ing environment and it'ssafer too."

As an LHD operator him-self, George said there's evena comfort factor to operatinga newer scoop.

"They ride a littlesmoother. That's how it iswith anything new."

Lands For Life is about your landDo you enjoy hunting, fishing, snowmobiling or the outdoors in general?Even if you don't, just being employed with a mining company will make a forthcoming Lands For Life

public session relevant to everyone at Inco. An April 9 Ministry of Natural Resources hearing at the FourPoints Hotel welcomes views from the public on land use and land use restrictions being considered by theprovincial government.

"We, as a company, need access to all public lands for potential future exploration," explained EdDebicki, manager of Inco Technical Services Limited. "But anyone with an interest in the mining industry,hunting, fishing, trapping, snowmobiling or camping might want to be there to make their views knownbefore some lands are potentially restricted from some or all of these activities." General public input isscheduled from 9 a.m. to noon.

Slipping is a year-'round hazardAs winter slips away make sure you don't slip along with it.Just because the snow is melting doesn't mean there aren't any slip hazards remaining.A wet surface can be as slippery as an icy one.Here are a few tips to consider in trying to prevent slips and falls where you work and live-• Wear footwear with a good grip, suitable to your work.• Use abrasive strips to increase traction.• Post signs to warn of icy, wet or otherwise slippery areas.• Clean up spills promptly. If the clean-up will take some time, post a warning sign, add lighting or

otherwise draw attention to the hazard and notify the proper authority to have the area cleaned up.

I

8 March 1998

EDUCATION & INCO

Cambrian students learn at Div ShopsB Dave Rollins

wenty-five studentsfrom Cambrian College'sindustrial mainte-

nance course recently vis-ited Divisional Shops to geta better idea of what theymight face once they're inthe workforce.

"The tour was very edu-cational," said GerryLevesque, Cambrian's in-dustrial maintenance pro-gram coordinator.

He said it gives the stu-dents a valuable look at "thebig picture" to see the equip-ment operating on a largerscale.

Student Tina Filion saidCambrian College doesn'thave a lot of the equipmentshe saw at Divisional Shopsand much of the equipmentthey do have at the collegeis tiny compared to what'sused in the industry.

"We get to see it here inthe actual scale," she said.

Student Shane Porteoussaid the tour "puts every-thing in perspective," be-cause much of the course istextbook and theory.

"Theory is fine, but youdon't actually understandit until it's in front of you,"Ms. Filion said.

Pierre Lalonde said thetour gave him an idea of thelevel of technology he couldexpect to see once he en-tered the workforce.

"At school, the equip-ment is different," he said.

"It takes forever to resetthe machines for a job,which is the worst part of it,really."

Mr. Lalonde said whilehe would like to work at Incaone day, if he could, he'sready to "take it as it comes.If you get in, you get in and

"Here ' s something youmight be familiar with,"Len Hirvela says as hepoints out a gear to JasonTierney, a CambrianCollege student, during atour of the DivisionalShops warehouse.

if not, you find somethingelse. If I can't get in at IncoI'll be looking at a few placesaround Toronto."

Another student with hiseye on Inco was JasonTierney.

He said. he's been train-ing hard to be in top shapeso he can pass the physicalrequirement to one day workat Inco.

"We'll see," he said. "It'dbe nice, that's for sure."

Dave Rollins is a CambrianCollege journalism student on aneducational placement withPublic Affairs.

Paul Berube, a heavy-dutyequipment mechanic inOntario Division 's CentralRepair Depot, explains theprocess for rebuildingheads to a group ofindustrial maintenancestudents from CambrianCollege.

Jack Maskellgives CambrianCollege students,Shane Porteousand GuyBoulanger thebenefit of his 25years ofexperience atInco, showingthem how to setup a job on theengine lathe.

I Graduate showsstudents the shop

Lynne Descary , an 11 -year employee and one of thefirst women in the trades at Inco, takes a measurementIn the machine shop at Divisional Shops.

ne of the Inco peopleCambrian Collegeindustrial mainte-

nance students were able totalk to during a tour of Divi-sional Shops was LynneDescary, 11-year employeeand one of the first women inthe trades at Inco.

Because Lynne is a Cam-brian College graduate herself,the tour guides made sure thestudents got a chance to speakwith her.

One student in particular,Tina Filion, was encouragedto talk to Lynne.

"They made sure I talked toLynne, since I'm the only girlin the lass," she said. "It wassupposed to be inspirational,and I guess it was."

She explained it was goodto know there's room in theindustry for women and get anidea of what she's going tohave to deal with from the menonce she's out there.

"But if I can deal with theseguys (her classmates), I candeal with anyone."

Lynne said, while enteringa male-dominated field wasn'tan easy chore, she didn't have

too many problems becauseshe didn't expect anyone tochange just because she wasthere.

"Coming into a male-domi-nated workplace, you have toaccept them and their wayswithout letting them walk allover you."

She noted that her machineshop co-workers are a goodgroup to work with.

Lynne said the skills shelearned in college became moreuseful to her in the last threeyears, after she moved frommills and mines to the ma-chine shop.

"You do mostly alignment,rigging and installation in thefield, while here it's strip andassessment work."

She said the intricate workat the shop is the kind of workshe was trained to do.

Lynne said she likes her jobbecause of the variety of workshe does and the people sheworks with.

"Most of the peoplearound here are willing tohelp each other out andshare information. They'rea good bunch."

The Triangle 9

Charting Division processes lowers costslotting the dots pays.Watching and chartingvarious processes in

the Ontario Division is oneof the latest efforts beingmade to improve efficiencyand lower production costs.

Nicknamed plotting thedots, results of careful proc-ess tracking don't take longto see.

Tom McDonald, actingproduction facilitator, said,"Plotting the dots has givenus a running chart."

That may not sound sig-nificant but it's already sav-ing more than $500,000 ayear at the Copper Cliff Millin the reduced use of costlyfilter aid chemicals. Filter aidchemicals are used in thedewatering process of con-centrate fed from ClarabelleMill.

The Copper Cliff Milltakes concentrate fromClarabelle Mill, dewaters itand sends it to the Smelter.

"We cut our filter aid usein half. In 1997 we spent $1million on filter aid. So it's asavings of half a million dol-lars a year," Tom said.

That's on top of improve-ments in process efficiencyat Copper Cliff Mill.

"We've increased our pro-duction from 30 to 40 tonnesper filter hour to 60 to 70tonnes per filter hour. It

means there's less wear andtear on equipment to get thesame results."

The use of other equip-ment, such as pumps, hasalso been made more effi-cient simply by plotting per-formance on charts andspotting ways to maximizeuse and minimize costs, hesaid.

"It's a visual thing. It waseasy to see where we couldimprove on our on-line sys-tems (of process charts)."

Tom said the computercharts plotting the processdots make it clear whenmachines can be turneddown without sacrificingany quality or quantity ofthe dewatering process.

"We measure densitygoing into the filter. Wefound we were able torun half as much equip-ment to get as much produc-tion."

If your area isn't alreadyplotting the dots, it likelysoon will be, said JoeDippong, senior advisor inTotal Quality Management.

Joe said training sessionswith employees are spread-ing the good word aboutplotting the dots.

"As we unroll the qualityworkshops it is very satisfy-ing to see trainees becomingteachers."

Tom McDonald, acting production facilitator at CopperCliff Mill, said plotting the dots on his computer chartsis already saving more than $500 ,000 a year at the millin the reduced use of costly filter aid chemicals . Filteraid chemicals are used in Copper Cliff Mill's dewateringprocess of concentrate, which comes from ClarabelleMill.

to, expectExpected outcomes ofthe Quality process ofplotting the dots are:

Improved planningprocess.

Ability, to measureprogress against plan.

*'increased process ca-pability with minimum,capital.

Everyone working onI adding value.

Plotting the dots Q & AQuality's Joe Dippong answers some common questions of the dot-plotting process.Q. Why are control charts so important?A. 'They are the clear voice of the process and will prevent you from responding to noise(normal variations in a process) while ensuring you do respond to signals."Q. Must data show evidence of control prior to plotting it onto a control chart?A. "No. One purpose of the control chart is to detect the presence or absence of a state ofstatistical control so don't wait, start now."Q. What is the difference between attribute charts and XMR charts?A. "XMR charts use empirical limits, while attribute charts use theory to construct limits. So whileyou are checking to see if your theory is correct I will be using XMR charts to improve my process.Who do you suppose will in that race?"

E 'Here's what 1

In PortAve&

Endof an era

The Davis Street electri-cal substation switch wasthrown, for the last time,shutting down the lastof the 25-cycle electricityat Inco's Port Colborne op-erations, at 3:30 p.m. onFeb. 25.

"It's the end of an era,"says jack Parker , mainte-nance technician. "We'vebeen trying to get out of 25-cycle power for the last 30years."

The Davis Street substa-tion supplied power to theplant since 1928. Inco pur-chased the unit from On-tario Hydro in 1961.

The old soda ash systemwas the last process to oper-ate on 25-cycle power. Itsrecent replacement with anupdated system operating on60-cycle electricity, meansthe entire plant will now op-erate on 60-cycle power,which lack says better servesInca's present needs.

"Twenty-five-cycle poweris like a dinosaur, and isobsolete," Jack says. "It'sjust not used in the industryany more."

Try try againfor success

If you don't succeed atfirst, try, try again.

That' s the motto LarrySlow and his fellow em-ployees of the NickelProcessing department usein trying to win the SafetySmart slogan contest.

Larry continually sub-mits suggested captions forthe safety and thinking slo-gan contests in the SafetySmart Employee SafetyMagazine.

Although he has won sec-ond prize twice before,Larry's recent submissionwon first prize and $100 inthe Winter'97 issue of SafetySmart.

Congratulations Larry,keep thinking safety.

Family alivetoday thanks to

detector

Carbon monoxide (CO)is colorless, odorless and le-thal:

While the CO often goesunnoticed, a carbon mon-oxide detector recentlyalerted Mike Hili , a cobaltoperator at the Port Col-borne Refinery, and his fam-ily to the deadly gas pour-ing into their home.

"I walked into work, andthe phone was ringing," re-calls Mike, who says his wifehad called the fire depart-ment.

"Just after I left, thealarm went off."

Mike remembers feelingsluggish the previous fewdays, while his wife,,Brenda , was suffering fromheadaches. Sluggishnessand headaches are classicsymptoms of carbon mon-oxide poisoning.

Mike's problem was the

furnace, a mid-efficiencyunit purchased over 10 yearsago. The gas company wascalled, and found a build-up of scale and dust whichwas blocking the furnace.

Carbon monoxide poi-soning is the leading causeof accidental poisoning inNorth America, with fatali-ties on the rise over the lastfive years. This trend can beattributed to fossil fuel burn-ing appliances and modernbuilding techniques. At least80 per cent of all homes haveat least one device posing apotential threat for carbonmonoxide poisoning.

One of those devices isthe chimney. When birds oranimals build their nests inthe chimney, the furnace isimproperly ventilated andcarbon monoxide build-upresults.

Carbon monoxide can beproduced by incompletecombustion of natural gasand other fuels. The symp-toms of CO poisoning maybe felt when there's just 100

parts of CO per million inthe air.

Although Mike andBrenda felt only mild symp-toms, carbon monoxide canbe fatal. When a personbreathes carbon monoxidethe gas is absorbed into thebloodstream, and displacesand replaces the oxygen.Often, the result is damageto the heart, brain damageand coma leading to thedeath of the victim.

Every year more than1,700 people die from acci-dental CO poisoning andmore than 10,000 others aretreated as a result of expo-sure to high levels of carbonmonoxide.

Mike bought the alarmseveral years ago throughInco, which subsidized halfthe $54 price tag. Little didhe realize then, it wouldsave his family's life. He nowencourages everyone to in-stall a carbon monoxidedetector in their home.

"It was a small price topay," Mike says.

10 March 1998

Musclecoordination is akey to. safety atwork and home

by Heather Wallingford

If the muscles of our body are working properly they will react;the.waywe want them to with little effort or thought and will help us to react safelywhen unexpected things happen . This makes us more efficient and safe.

If the muscles of our hands are working properly we will be able to dothings efficiently and decrease the risk of injuring one of the most impor- nutrients our muscles and nerves do not fire efficiently which decreases ourtant parts of our bodies. coordination, endurance, attention and mood. Eating properly increases

Poor coordination of our hands can lead to injury, accidents, equipment your energy.damage and cost us and the company that we work for a lot of money. Here are some nutritional tips:

Many things affect our coordinationNatural abilityHave you everwondered why some people are natural athletes and can

learn new skills very easily, while most of us have to practice, a lot beforewe master a new physical skill? There are still others who are clumsy, whohave great difficulty learning physical skills even with practice and always T.seem to be hurting themselves orbreaking and spilling things.

The well-coordinated personcan usually pay attention to sev-eral things and still perform wellphysically and so tends to stay outof unsafe situations or does the,right thing when in an emergency.

Poorly coordinated people canusually perform well when pay.ing attention and everything isgoing well for them but have dif-ficulty doing things safely whenother things are happeningaround them or in their life.

Whether, we are, naturally well.Luuidinatedornotthere are thingsthat we can da . to improve ourcoordination and make it lesslikely that we will get Injured orget into an accident,

Improve coordination by• Keeping fit• Getting enough sleep• Eating properly• Minimizing your alc

intake.

Keep fit are natu^rall more calm and o -There are several.aspec is to;htness. If we have sante muscles that are ers who„are more.te

at least once a day. With practice westrong and others that are not used very much, we ore over-using one group Learn and use techniques to relaxwhich leads to repetitive strain injuries. Balance of strength of long : can do this in` .a few minutes: For those of us who are tense , it is verymuscles and some flexibility is essential for ' good coordination and important to learn techniquesand ways of thinking that will help manageavoidance of repetitive strain injury. Strength of short muscles that stress.stabilize each joint, protects the. joint from injury, uses less effort and To keep stress to a minimum, we should only worry about the big issuesimproves overall strength. Endurance delays fatigue and improves your . that we can do something about. Keep in mind that the onlything thatyoucirculation. can really change isyourself and the way that you think.

Do 10 to 20 minutes of exercise every dayfor'the short muscles that Make a list of all the things thatbotheryouthatyoucannotchange andstabilize your joints. stop thinking curd-talking about'them. Making a plan for t:he things that,

Do a continuous activity for;attleast 1$ minutes afew times a week, such are troublesome that we can change and working toward changing themas walking, riding o stationary bicycle, swimming or cross-country skiing puts us in more control, of our stresses.to keep your heart. fit so that you have some endurance., Getting some counselliny carialso "help us to relax.

If we are tired we are not aswell coordinated and do not have our usual Even, one drink has.. effect on our reaction time. Drugs and alcoholGet enough 'sleep Alcohol and drugs

endurance. We also have difficulty paying attention, especially if we have change the chemistry of our brain and our nerves so .that they do not reactother things on our minds , The amountof sleep scat you need is different as quickly , which effects our attention, our muscles and our balance,,'for each us. At least six hours a night is recommended for good health , They also cause unpredictable changes in our thoughts and our mood.

Try to get at least six hours ofsleepa night. We may need severi-anl-a-half or nine hours If we are doing physically demanding work. This doesnot have to be all at one -time , but should be in 90-minute cycles - so thatthe body and thenl indore.reluvenated..Wakinrg'up in the middle of .a 90-minute cycle..makesus .feel worse than if sleeping less . It is possible to make

Eat properlyOurbodies and our brains need a balance of nutrients, water and oxygenwork efficiently.The food' we eat is what the body uses for nutrition for the muscles and

nerves. If there are not enough vitamins, minerals and other essential

• Eat breakfast to provide some nutrients to the body.• Eat several fruits and vegetables. every day.• Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.• Do not eat much fat, which is an energy robber.• Do not eat much sugar , which is quick energy but soon robs your energy.• Get onto, an eating plan to lose weight, for those who are overweight,

ire extra weight gives every part of the body " extra work and puts

SummaryTo improve coordination.• Do at least 15 minutes of exercise a day for short muscles and long

up loss of sleep if it is done within a week or so . _ & Do 15 minutes of exercise a day for the heart at least three times a week.No time for 90 'minutes of sleep? Then take a'10 to 20-minute power `' • Get at least six hours of.sleep in 90-minute cycles.

nap. These are refreshing fora shorttime. M, re than 20 minutes and less • Take 10 to 20- ninute powernaps, it 90 minutes is too long.than 90 minutes will usually leave us feeling mentally and/or physically. • Eat nutritious meals, especially breakfast.tired. • Cutback on the energy robbers - fat and sugar.

Difficulty getting to sleep? Get some help as there are many things that •. team and practice relaxation techniques every day.,you can do to help you get to sleep. • t et.some, counselling if needed.Those of us who snore and hold our breath have sleep apnea , which '. ` `• Decrease the amount- of alcohol consumption.

robs energy in the short run and causes serious health problems over time . • Remember, a happy, well-rested, well-nourished person, who is not allclinic for help. stressed. out, is not only safer but is a jay toy be around.Go to the family doctor and get referral- to the sleep

coordination at a mechanicaldisadvantage.

Keep your stressto a minimum

Stress is usually from thingsthat we cannot do anythingabout. When we are in controlwe usually consider it a chal-lerige. Challenges increase, ourenergy and enhance our coordi-nation.

Stress, on the other hand, in-creases the tension In the mus-des, ,,which' makes . us less wellcoordinated;'

it also puts us into our fight orflight reaction mode, whichcauses us to over-react. Both ofthese, asp" decrease our coor-dinttion, efficiency and oursafety:

When we have things that arebothering us theyoften.are in ourthoughts and distract us so thatwe are not paying as close atten-

j ti.on to what we are doing, whichalso decreases our safety. -

There are some people who

The Triangle 11

r' r",00or r ► r^ ^! r r Y Is iot an accidentL Fwith Ron Rafuse or a risk •.

Over the past few years in the safety articles it has been stated there Isonly one way to do the work, and that is the safe way.

There is no; choice' between production and safety, because the onlyway to produce is safely:'Yet people continue to get injured and incidentsof high potential continue to happen.

This some issue faces us in all areas of everyday life, from highwayaccidents and snowmobilefatalitiesto homeaccidents.

Can we really call it an accident when a:`person who had training„ knowledge andskills decides to make a choice and take astupid` risk? An accident : is defined as anunavoidable 'act of fate.

People often think, "It cannot happen torue."

If anyone ca ,prevent the event fromhappening by evaluating the situation andusing skill, knowledge and training, then itcan beavolded by making the right choice.

Every day, each of us finds ourselves in asituation,, where we consciously or uncon-sciously; cake a choice about what we thinkis a risky event

For examnple, the choice you make aboutwearing asertt,ibelt;' running that yellowlight, or how dose you follow the car in frontof you.

Constantly, choices, ore. ;made as towhether ornot something is a risky,,event.

The question Is where do you draw the line in making these personalchoices each day?

By taking the time to .evaluate each situation and make the rightchoice, it will reduce the likelihood of an injury or incident.

The personal choices each of us make with risk can he influenced by theattitude we have , at the time. In many cases on the job, it is the level wethink our supervisor will accept.

With automnbiles and, recreational equipment people start to drink

alcoholic beverages and soon the ability to make the appropriate choicesdisappears.

Every day we make choices and decide if the risk is to be taken. Thereis some risk in everything we do and everyone must be aware of this. Therisks have to be evaluated and choices made that allow us to reduce the riskof injury and incidents.

The tools used to make these decisions inthe workplace are rules , standards, train-ing, equipment and knowledge or skill. Butthe final thing you need to ask yourself is, doI have the right attitude to prepare myself formaking the smart choice in this situation?

As spring approaches, it brings with itsunshine and a different breed of vehicle toour streets and highways called the motor-cycle.

One of the most common causes of mo-torcycle crashes is being cut off by anothervehicle.

Don't pull out in front of an oncomingmotorcycle. It is hard to judge the speed atwhich it is traveling and the driver may notbe able to slow or swerve without losingcontrol of the bike. Don't tailgate a motor-cycle or cut in quickly if you pass. Themotorcycle can go out of control very quicklyby such things as a change of road surface.Spills on bikes can mean serious injury or

death for the rider.Motorcyclists, on the other hand, must remember to signal properly.

Do not dart in and out of traffic putting yourself in danger from largervehicles and always wear the required protective riding gear, including aproper helmet to protect against head, face and brain injury.

Always remember that by making the proper choices and evaluatingeach situation, injuries can be prevented.

Ron Rafuse is superintendent of Safety in the Ontario Division

Name Date of Birth Date of Death Years of Service Name Date of Birth Date of Death Years of Service

Armand Belanger 03-29-40 02-23-98 34 Ovilla Latendre 01-29-19 02-27-98 25.3John Bertin 08-12-17 02-22-98 28 Hermini Leclair 06-10-22 02-10-98 36.5Many Bihun 11-30-19 10-23-97 28.5 Maurice Leonard 06-24-25 02-06-98 29Ray Bowhey 08-19-23 02-18-98 29.5 Sergio MancineIli 04-26-29 02-03-98 35William Bowie 10-14-22 02-08-98 25 Donald McDonald 05 -14-01 02-24-98 34.8Arden Buell 07-04-23 02-06-98 43.5 John Mohan 02-27-29 02-15-98 31Laindon Burnett 08-01-33 02-28-98 30.5 Konrad Muth Jr . 09-08-30 02-27-98 39Joseph Carrey 07-19-16 02-17-98 40.5 Bruno Polano 12-26- 14 02-04-98 42George Cloutier 03-16-30 02-27-98 31 Joseph Predon 06-27 -28 02-25-98 30.5Eldred Dickie 06-06-09 02-07-98 39.3 Mike Ricci 05-05-05 02-06-98 36.7Angelo Dirocco 12-18-22 02-05-98 34.5 lean Rivet 05-20-17 02- 13-98 30.5Boris Harbulik 07-29-20 02-13-98 21 Simon Sheehan 01-25- 14 02 -04-98 38.7Omer lean 07-10-17 02-18-98 31 Laurier St - Aubin 06-21-19 02-25-98 35.5Earnest Kilroy 01-13-14 02-02-98 38.5 Wilfred Thivierge 02-04-25 02-05-98 25Edward Lamirande 10-05-25 02-19-98 38 Arthur True 04-11- 18 02-21-98 36.5

12 March 1998

Inco scholar has come a long wayBy Dave Rollins

iron Marsawhas come a

Along way sincehe earned an Incoscholarship in 1992.

The son of WesMarsaw, who recentlyretired after 38 yearswith Inco, Aarongraduated from Lau-rentian Universitywith his degree in Po-litical Science and Phi-losophy. Then in 1995,he was the first Lau-rentian student se-lected for the prestig-ious Rhodes Scholar-ship.

The scholarship al-lowed Aaron to spendthree years at St. John'sCollege in Oxford,England, working onhis Master's of Inter-national Develop-ment Studies in Phi-losophy.

He says he'll be fin-ished his master's inJuly and his next stepis law school at theUniversity of Toronto,which has also offeredhim a scholarship tostudy there.

Wes says the Uni-versityof Toronto con-tacted him first andtold him they weregoing to offer Aaronthe Newton RowellAward scholarship,because of Aaron'shigh academic stand-ing and communityinvolvement.

"They called him,he didn't apply for thescholarship," Wessays.

Wes says this schol-arship is just icing onthe cake because U ofT was Aaron's firstchoice of the lawschools he applied to.

The Newton Rowell

Award is given to threestudents per year andwas set up by former Lt.Gov. Hal Jackman, inmemory of his grandfa-ther.

The selection processfor the award takes intoaccount a student's char-ity work.

"Aaron certainlyqualifies there," said Wes.

Aaron has done a lotof work with local chari-ties, from entertainingterminally ill cancer pa-tients by playing, classi-cal guitar for them, todoing lectures at elemen-tary schools for the Ca-nadian National Insti-tute for the Blind. Aaronis legally blind as a re-sult of a benign tumorfound when he was 12years old.

Aaron says, in a tel-ephone interview fromOxford, he was surprisidto receive the scholar-ship. He didn't think theuniversity gave anyscholarships to first-yearstudents "or at least notvery many."

According to Wes, "Itwas a stroke of luck."

Aaron says while hemay experience a littleculture shock switchingfrom Oxford to Toronto,he's looking forward tostudying in Canadaagain.

Canadian universi-ties are much more struc-tured than British ones,Aaron says. In Canada,a student has to do testsand assignments regu-larly to earn a certainnumber of credits eachterm, while at Oxfordhe's given reading listsand assignments andthen has to wait untilthe end of the year to beassessed.

Mining at Science North

He says, while he's notlooking forward to writ-ing tests and quizzesagain he is "looking for-ward to studying underthe structure I'm familiarwith.

"That will be refresh-ing."

Also, in Toronto, heexpects "less formalitythan here at Oxford."

Aaron says he'll behappy to leave behindcertain traditions,,, like"High Table," ;a table forthe professors which is afoot higher than the stu-dent's tables forthe timeswhen students and pro-fessors eat together.

Toronto itself is muchdifferent, according' toAaron, who, has..beendown there on severaloccasions.

'Toronto is a,, muchbigger city than Oxford,"he says. "In Oxford youcan pretty much walkeverywhere you want togo, while in Toronto youhave to use the subway,and buses."

Aaron says he plansto continue getting in-volved with the commu-nity once he's in Toronto,but will probably stick tothe university commu-nity, like participating indubs, until he has a bet-ter idea,of his new schoolworkload.

The4"thing Aaron sayshe's most excited about,right now, is studying law.

"I'm very interested inthe different issues involv-ing law, both nationaland international," hesays. "I'm especially in-terested in internationallaw and development."

After he's graduated,he says he hopes to workin international develop-ment, working on build-

Rhodes scholar Aaron Marsaw has been given another honor - thistime from the University of Toronto.

ing relations between won the Inco scholarship, Aaron."Canada and Latin Wes jokingly said, "You Wes says Aaron'sAmerica. should shoot for Rhodes come a long way since

Back when Aaron - once you're in university, then.

MAIL POST E

Science North's Rob Gagne meets one of the miners at theMining Show. The science centre plans to update the 10-year-old exhibit, which features much of Inco's mininghistory and the importance of Sudbury in the world as anickel producer during the past century and into moderntimes.

M-d. rw "Wow. / &." ---^---- a. P"..Ndwp. ►w,PIf

Bik Nbre2065Sudbury, Ontario

The Triangle is published monthly for employees and pensionersof the Ontario Division of Inca Limited. Produced by the PublicAffairs Department, members of the International Association ofBusiness Communicators.

Letters and comments are welcomed and should be addressed tothe Editor at Inca Limited, Public Affairs Department, CopperCliff, Ontario POM 1N0. Phone 705-682-5204.