Ural Federal District’s division of Rostechnadzor (the state environmental, technological, and nuclear safety watchdog) carried out 1,427 inspections of Vanadium/Kachkanar ore mining and processing enterprise last year. As a result, 6,655 safety violations were revealed, with fifty-five cases when stoppages were required, and 316 employees faced disciplinary liability, the spokesperson for Ural Federal District’s division of Rostechnadzor reports.

In addition, heads of the enterprise’s departments were given 452 improvement proposals, all of which were implemented. Nevertheless, some of the procedures turned out to be carried out in a rather tokenistic way, especially where electrical and mechanic machinery was involved. For one, the company had twenty accidents (including one fatal one) in 2008.

To make matters worse, the inspectors found out that the hazardous objects did not receive the proper maintenance or surveillance, and numerous violations were revealed in the mining procedures and operation of vehicles and railway transport.

In the end, the enterprise’s managing director was given a list of eighty-nine orders with specific proposals and clearly set deadlines.