Two explosions and four deaths in 2012 awakened sawmill operators to the dangers of accumulated dust, but inspectors have found attention to the threat is slipping.
WorkSafeBC slapped 13 stop-work orders on mills between Nov. 4, 2013, and Jan. 14 this year, including one in Chemainus. All the orders related to dust that had been allowed to build up until, in some cases, equipment was 鈥渂uried.鈥�
After the explosions in Burns Lake and Prince George, WorkSafe soon suspected that combustible dust could be the culprit and began working with the industry to reduce the risks. It鈥檚 particularly a problem in the Interior, where forest companies are harvesting pine-beetle-infected trees as fast as they can before the wood loses its value.
After doing 249 inspections over the winter, the safety agency found 61 out of 144 mills were not following the rules.
Jobs Minister Shirley Bond plans to sit down with WorkSafe and the heads of the forest companies to move the issue up on everyone鈥檚 priority list. The memories of the four dead men must be front and centre in those discussions. All the firms have brought in dust-management plans, and they say the main production areas are generally clean. But out-of-the-way areas, including some near electrical systems, are being missed.
WorkSafe, the government, the companies and the workers have to make this a priority. Four deaths are too high a price to pay.
