Industrial Fire Prevention

From the Vancouver Sun Sawmills improve on wood dust problems Three years after deadly explosions, industry still working to keep employees safe By Gordon Hoekstra, Vancouver Sun February 17, 2016 The Lakeland Mills sawmill in Prince George burned to the ground after a huge explosion in April, 2012.   Forest companies appear to have controlled wood dust in their sawmills and pellet plants following deadly explosions in 2012, but WorkSafeBC continues to keep the pressure on to ensure safety. The province’s chief workplace safety agency began a series of inspections targeting wood dust beginning in 2012 after two explosions at sawmills in northern B.C. that killed four workers and injured dozens of others. The sixth and latest round of inspections — this one of more than 100 sawmills and more than a dozen pellet plants last year — showed that none were cited for having accumulations of dust considered a risk of fire or explosion, according to ...

From The Vancouver Sun Sawmills improve on wood dust problems Three years after deadly explosions, industry still working to keep employees safe By Gordon Hoekstra, Vancouver Sun February 17, 2016 The Lakeland Mills sawmill in Prince George burned to the ground after a huge explosion in April, 2012. Forest companies appear to have controlled wood dust in their sawmills and pellet plants following deadly explosions in 2012, but WorkSafeBC continues to keep the pressure on to ensure safety. The province’s chief workplace safety agency began a series of inspections targeting wood dust beginning in 2012 after two explosions at sawmills in northern B.C. that killed four workers and injured dozens of others. The sixth and latest round of inspections — this one of more than 100 sawmills and more than a dozen pellet plants last year — showed that none were cited for having accumulations of dust considered a risk of fire or explosion, according to more than 1,0...

From Woodworking Network Resolute fined after worker burned in dust explosion on wood biomass boiler By Karl D. Forth February 04, 2016 | 4:07 pm EST Photo by HGC Engineering, www.acoustical-consultants.com FORT FRANCES, Ontario - Lumber firm Resolute Forest Products Canada Inc., owner of an idled paper mill, pleaded guilty and has been fined $150,000 after a worker was burned following an explosion of wood dust. The Ontario Ministry of Labour says the paper mill was idled in 2014 but its bio mass boiler was still in operation to provide heat for the mill through the winter. It was expected that the boiler would be idled after the winter when heating was no longer required. The boiler was capable of running on either natural gas or bio mass. In 2008 an engineering assessment of the conveyor system for the boiler concluded that the system did not present a dust explosion hazard, owing to the particle size and moisture content of the fuel being used as b...