In this episode of the DustSafetyScience Podcast, we’re talking to Jeff Mycroft, Ontario regional sales manager for Fike Canada, about the Canadian regulatory framework for combustible dust safety.
This episode is part of a series dedicated the combustible dust rules and regulations across the globe.
- Episode #10: Alan Tyldesley explained safety regulations in the UK.
- Episode #15: Michael Marrington talked about IECEx and international explosion standards.
- Episode #20: Arpad Veress joined us to discuss ATEX.
- Episode #24: Niklas Kitzhöfer reviewed Chinese national standards for explosion safety.
- Episode #27: Johannes Lottermann talked about German VDI standards for explosion safety.
- Episode #45: Brian Edwards explained the OSHA Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program.
Now Jeff is on the podcast to explain the Canadian regulatory framework for combustible dust safety. During his 20-plus years with Fike, he has been in countless facilities handling combustible dust: everything from grains to ink toners, metal dust, and more. “If it makes a dust, I’ve (probably) been in that facility,” he said.
In this interview, Jeff answers questions like the following:
- What is the regulatory framework in Canada?
- How is it enforced?
- Are there geography-based differences in awareness?
- What are some success stories?
- How can a national set of regulations be created?
- What are the ongoing challenges?
What Is The Regulatory Framework Within Canada?
Jeff explained that the regulatory framework in Canada is a highly varied one. There is a national fire code, which each province has copied and customized. For example, Quebec varies greatly from the national version while Ontario and British Columbia have copied it nearly verbatim, with some customization for local industries. This situation mirrors the one in the U.S., where some states have their own version of OSHA.
Another regulator is the Ministry of Labour, which is called WorkSafe BC in British Columbia. There are also:
- Building inspectors who are alert for combustible dust hazards and won’t approve a building permit until the proper protections are in place.
- Licensed engineers who carry out a Prestart Health and Safety Review (usually shortened to PSHR or PSR) before signing off on new technology.
How Are The Regulations Enforced?
According to Jeff, there are so many safety issues out there that the amount of regulatory enforcement is typically related to events seen in any given area.
“Fire prevention officers will come out to a site and sometimes they’ll catch it,” he explained. “The Ministry of Labour inspectors, building inspectors to a small extent, and engineers doing some sort of review will quite often pick it up as well. There are giant holes in that, but that’s typically how it’s enforced.”
Jeff explained that fire inspectors are looking at sprinkler setups, means of egress from a building, and other factors that can save lives during a fire. They don’t see explosions often, which is why combustible dust regulation enforcement may not be as strong as it should be.
“We have a lot of really good inspectors out there, but all of them… are focusing on the things they see every day,” Jeff said. In other words, fire prevention officers are looking for different things than a building inspector or explosion protection specialist would be.
Are There Geography-Based Differences In Awareness?
There is no national fire training center in Canada: each province trains its own personnel. Jeff said that he has been in larger cities, where the knowledge is more extensive, and then gone hundreds of kilometers to a rural facility and found hazards that the fire marshal missed because they weren’t aware of a particular code.
What Are Some Success Stories?
Jeff recalled the Babine Forest Products sawmill explosion in Burns Lake, BC, in January 2012. Two men were killed and 20 were injured. Three months later, the Lakeland Mills explosion in Prince George killed two men and injured 24. WorkSafe BC immediately educated itself on all the hazards before issuing stop work orders on some facilities and making them address dangerous dust conditions.
WorkSafe BC also partnered with industry associations like Wood Pellet Association of Canada to form a safety committee. Several competing groups got together for the sole purpose of keeping employees safe. They formed their own internal audits and training programs and education.
Jeff added that Nova Scotia has also shown progress and initiative by going through most of its high schools and ensuring that they have safer dust collection systems. (This program was discussed at length in Episode #4 of the podcast.)
Ontario, however, is “drastically behind. There are a lot of good inspectors and some are catching (hazards), but as a whole, we’re missing a lot. I go into tons of facilities and they’re largely unprotected. They’ve had … inspectors in there regularly. It’s not their job to catch every mistake, but I fear there’s going to have to be another Imperial Sugar-sized explosion or Babine Forest Products / Lakeland Mills explosion for it to happen.”
How Can A National Set of Regulations Be Created?
How can Canada get its own national set of regulations? When the U.S. grain handling standard was developed in 1980, OSHA partnered with the biggest industry associations and combustible dust experts. WorkSafe BC did something similar, and now publishes an annual report for all of their safety initiatives that include combustible dust. There is even a checklist that asks key questions, such as “Is this product combustible?” or “Does it contain combustible dust?” and “Is it protected properly?”
“I think that should be adopted across Canada,” Jeff said. “We still go into facilities (and find) an unprotected piece of equipment in the middle of the showroom floor. And you’re like, how did this get signed off? Then there’s a whole bunch of finger-pointing. So it’s not the catch all. It’s not going to be perfect, but it’s way better than having nothing at all.”
What Are Some Ongoing Challenges?
Jeff said that one of the biggest problems he encounters is complacency. Facility managers and employees take the position that “we’ve been doing this for X number of years.” He identified ignorance as another issue, which he mostly attributes to lack of information.
“Fire departments are individual. There’s no centralized database. So they’re not even tracking explosions. And even once they did track explosions, it’s normally the fire they track and not the cause, being the explosion.”
Lack of training also present difficulties. Even when department personnel are trained, there is turnover. Jeff pointed out that even insurance companies, which usually push for improvements because they don’t want to pay out for explosions, have training challenges. Forward-thinking companies like Fike and online resources like DustSafetyScience continue to push for and enable education, but a lot of work remains to be done.
Conclusion
Dr. Cloney, who has an 11-month-old son, presented an analogy of a toy on the stairs. If you don’t pick it up right away, eventually you don’t notice it any more- until someone falls down the stairs. If a local authority becomes aware of a combustible dust hazard but nothing happens over time, their sense of risk goes down and they can become numb to a very real danger. Education can be a key part of reducing combustible dust hazards across Canada.
If you would like to discuss further, leave your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach Jeff Mycroft directly:
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-mycroft-66b013a/
If you have questions about the contents of this or any other podcast episode, you can go to our ‘Questions from the Community’ page and submit a text message or video recording. We will then bring someone on to answer these questions in a future episode.
Resources Mentioned
DustSafetyScience:
Combustible Dust Incident Database
DustSafetyScience Podcast
Questions from the Community
Companies:
Fike
Organizations:
OSHA
WorkSafe BC
Wood Pellet Association of Canada
Standards:
NFPA 652
Wood Pellet Association of Canada Annual Work Plans:
2019
2018
2017
2016
Incidents:
Imperial Sugar Refinery Explosion (2008)
Babine Forest Products Sawmill Explosion (2012)
Lakeland Mills Explosion (2012)
Previous Podcasts:
DSS045: History of the OSHA Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program with Brian Edwards
DSS038: New Zealand Code of Practice For Handling Combustible Dusts With Dr. Chris Bloore
DSS030: Five Open Challenges in Combustible Dust Safety
DSS027: Understanding the German VDI Standards for Explosion Safety with Dr.-Ing. Johannes Lottermann
DSS024: Understanding Chinese National Standards for Explosion Safety with Niklas Kitzhöfer
DSS020: Understanding Ex Certification of Equipment and Personnel with Arpad Veress
DSS015: Understanding International Explosion Safety Standards with Michael Marrington
DSS010: Biomass Fire & Explosion Hazards and UK regulations with Alan Tyldesley
DSS004: Nova Scotia Dust Collector Safety Program and Explosion Safety with Jeramy Slaunwhite
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DSS047: Canadian Regulatory Framework For Combustible Dust Safety With Jeff Mycroft