Once again, you will find a link that we strongly urge every Health & Safety Committee review with management to assist in determining that specific facility's best interim measures.
http://www.worksafebc.com/news_room/features/2012/assets/pdf/WoodDustSawmillsCompilation.pdf
Yesterday WorkSafe communicated they had discovered a similarity with respect to the Burns Lake and Prince George Sawmill catastrophes.
Although they were very clear in saying the investigations are far from complete, they wanted to share with the Industry their observations.
WorkSafe indicated that both situations appeared to involve the conveyor level of the facilities, and that they were interested in electrical and mechanical devices within "contained areas" at the conveyor level.
A quick reminder that for a fire there needs to be an ignition source, fuel and oxygen; and for an explosive event, you need to add containment and dispersion.
When asked about the containment, WorkSafe reported that any area contained by walls, floor and ceiling makes a contained area.
It is critical to remember that:
- the investigations are still ongoing
- sawmills produce vast quantities of sawdust every second they operate, our focus has to be not just on an immediate clean up, but on the development on ongoing strategies to ensure to the extent possible, that combustible dust is first contained, and secondly any random accumulations are removed.
Bob Matters
USW Wood Council Chair