228 workers at one of Mosaic potash Esterhazy mines were in refuge stations for 6 hours yesterday after a worker smelled smoke in the K-2 mine.

Mosaic’s Sarah Fedorchuk says they followed protocol.

“We take the safety of our employees very seriously and we have very strict protocols about what we do in this kind of situation.”

Mosaic’s Sarah Fedorchuk says the move was made after a worker smelled smoke. She says as part of their safety precautions if a worker says they have smelled smoke then all the employees are sent to refuge stations.

The cause of the smoke, which also affected the K-1 mine, is under investigation, and Fedorchuk says all the workers were safely brought out by evening.