Category Archives: Health & Safety

Health & Safety

How education reduced serious injuries and fatalities in forestry

By Shane Mercer
Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine
November 10, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada

Tom Welton

Tom Welton has spent a lifetime thinking about safety in Canada’s forestry industry. …When Welton looks back on the state of the industry he can’t help but be impressed by the improvements made in health and safety, and says it’s been driven by education. Welton entered the workforce in the 1980s and spent 10 years with Domtar as a regional health and safety coordinator. He says safety awareness grew in the industry during that period.  …His message to those who are beginning their careers in forestry safety: don’t stop learning. “There’s a lot of knowledge out there,” says Welton, “you can gain bits and pieces of key nuggets of knowledge and carry those forward.” Welton suggests one development program that every safety professional should work towards is the Canadian Registered Safety Professional designation.

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B.C. wildfire smoke may have caused the ‘red sun’ in Ontario

By Isaac Phan Nay
The Toronto Star
September 15, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada

Those watching the sky in the evening may have noticed a unique sunset as smoke from wildfires in Western Canada wafted above parts of southern Ontario. Satellite imaging showed a plume of smoke from Western Canada move slowly southwards over the Golden Horseshoe area Wednesday evening, Environment Canada meteorologist Gerald Cheng said. …“As long as there’s smoke between your eyes and the sun, you could see the red sun,” Cheng said. Cheng added the smoke did not reach ground level as it passed high above southern Ontario, meaning it did not affect the air quality in the GTA. …Cheng said that at this time, there is no information to suggest any B.C. wildfires would affect air quality in southern Ontario in the coming days. But Cheng said the same pollutants that gave Ontario vibrant sunsets was affecting air quality in Western Canada.

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WorkSafeBC Health and Safety News

WorkSafeBC
November 16, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Read the WorkSafeBC Newsletter, highlights include:

  • Engaging your workers to identify health and safety risks
  • New Resources | Product Recalls
  • Incident investigation report summaries
  • Staying connected leads to better return-to-work outcomes
  • New health & safety resources finder tool
  • 2023 WorkSafeBC Student Safety Video Contest
  • Winter driving webinar

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Western Forest Products donates $10,000 to Search and Rescue

Campbell River Mirror
November 15, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Campbell River Search and Rescue Society got a helping hand in a huge way, thanks to Western Forest Products. The forestry company donated a sum of $10,000 to Search and Rescue, a non-profit that relies heavily on grants and donations for expansions and technical training of volunteers. The money donated will go toward numerous renovation projects, including a hall expansion. “Western’s commitment and investment in the Campbell River area is a great thing for those who adventure and work in our backyard,” said Search and Rescue Society President Tonya Crawford. “Our alignment in values and synergy with respect to the supernatural terrain of British Columbia and of Vancouver Island have created a strong, budding partnership. All I can say is thank you.” …“I am proud to work for an organization that supports local community organizations,” said Chris Clements, a long-time CRSAR volunteer and Western employee.

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Consultation on proposed B.C. Exposure Limits based on the new or revised 2019 and 2020 ACGIH TLVs for selected chemical substances

WorkSafeBC
November 15, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Each year, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) publishes a list of substances for which they have set new or revised Threshold Limit Values (TLVs). A TLV is an airborne concentration of a chemical substance where it is believed that nearly all workers may be exposed over a working lifetime and experience no adverse health effects. TLVs may be expressed as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA), 15-minute short-term exposure limit (STEL), or ceiling limit. Before adopting new or revised TLVs published by the ACGIH, WorkSafeBC reviews relevant data on health effects and the availability of validated sampling methods. WorkSafeBC also consults with stakeholders on potential implementation issues. WorkSafeBC’s existing B.C. Exposure Limits (ELs) continue to be in effect until the Board of Directors makes a decidsion on which new or revised ACGIH TLVs to adopt as B.C. ELs. We are requesting stakeholder feedback on the proposed B.C. ELs for 22 substances.

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Mosaic Signs Access Agreements With Seven Search and Rescue Organizations

Mosaic Forest Management
November 8, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Nanaimo, BC — Mosaic Forest Management is pleased to announce the signing of seven access agreements with Search and Rescue organizations on Vancouver Island. The agreements provide important access for training exercises, data-sharing opportunities, and overall support for these organizations dedicated to public safety. The agreements follow Mosaic’s landmark signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Arrowsmith Search and Rescue in 2021. …Mosaic’s new access agreements are with the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad, Arrowsmith Search and Rescue, Campbell River Search and Rescue, Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue, Ladysmith Search and Rescue, Nanaimo Search and Rescue, and Westcoast Inland Search and Rescue. “We’re proud to support the dedicated volunteers of these Search and Rescue organizations,” said Domenico Iannidinardo, Mosaic’s Senior Vice President and Chief Forester. “They play a critical role in public safety, providing a vital lifeline to those who are lost or injured in the Vancouver Island wilderness.”

Additional coverage in the Victoria Times Colonist, by Andrew Duffy: Mosaic Forest Management opens land to search and rescue training

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Fatal landslide blamed on old logging road raises fears about hidden risks near Canada’s highways

By Yvette Trend and Lyndsay Duncombe
CBC News
October 27, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Diederichs was one of dozens of people trapped in that valley on the morning of Nov. 15, 2021, when an earlier landslide had blocked Highway 99, about 40 kilometres southwest of Lillooet, B.C. …Five people were confirmed dead, among them her 36-year-old son, Brett Diederichs, whose body still hasn’t been found. Diederichs said it was infuriating to learn that the fatal landslide she survived was likely caused by land-management issues around an old logging road, and may have been preventable. “Why were we allowed to be on that highway that day?” …Engineers and hydrologists say the underlying cause of the landslide was unenforced land-management regulations, a legacy of historical logging that left unstable land with dangerous drainage invisible above the highway. And the tragedy points to much larger land-management issues with the close to 1.5 million kilometres of logging, mining and oil exploration or so-called resource roads snaked across Canada.

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WorkSafeBC virtual public hearing on proposed regulatory amendments

WorkSafeBC
October 26, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

WorkSafeBC is holding a virtual public hearing on proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The virtual public hearing will be streamed live on December 16, 2022, in two sessions. We welcome your feedback on the proposed amendments. All feedback received will be presented to WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors for their consideration.

You can provide feedback in the following ways:

1. Submit feedback online or by email
Written submissions can be made online until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, December 19, 2022, via worksafebc.com or by email to ohsregfeedback@worksafebc.com.

2. Register to speak at the hearing by phone
To register, call 604.232.7744 or toll-free in B.C. at 1.866.614.7744. Each organization or individual will be permitted to make one presentation.

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WorkSafeBC Health and Safety News

WorkSafeBC
October 20, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

This issue includes: How to reduce the risk of workers being struck by mobile equipment; Updates to OHS Guidelines; Product recalls; and new incident investigation report summaries. In the spotlight: October is manufacturing month, learn about new resources, how ergonomics can reduce injury risks, and how our online services help small businesses save time. Finally, WorkSafeBC will be speaking at the upcoming Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC conference, October 27 and 28. This online conference is a global conference for leaders, safety and HR professionals, safety committees, worker reps, and OHS students committed to a safe and sustainable future for industry. For more details and stories, read our full newsletter in the link below.

 

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WorkSafeBC develops new safety resource for manufacturing sector

OHS Canada
October 12, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Manufacturing in British Columbia has an injury rate that is 24 per cent higher than the provincial average, according to WorkSafeBC. In 2021, there were more than 19,000 time-loss injuries in the manufacturing sector in B.C. and close to 4,000 of these were serious injuries. To help prevent injuries in manufacturing, WorkSafeBC has established a multi-year Manufacturing High-Risk Strategy. As part of this strategy, WorkSafeBC develops health and safety resources to help employers better understand and address health and safety issues. The latest resource is a new self-evaluation tool for manufacturing workplaces that includes a set of checklists to help employers and supervisors identify, control, and manage risks.

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Minimum-age restrictions brought in for young workers in B.C.

By Darron Kloster
Victoria Times Colonist
October 12, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Ministry of Labour outlined new age requirements for young workers, saying they must be at least 16 before working in construction or doing jobs from dangerous heights, and at least 18 before they can work in a sawmill, use a chainsaw or drill for gas and oil. The amended employment standard regulations take effect Jan. 1. …WorkSafe B.C. has collected tragic stories over the years of young people on jobs sites … who have suffered similar life-altering experiences: A forklift driver paralysed after a load of plywood slipped off and broke his back, a lumber processor who lost his leg while tangled in a chain, and a pizza dough maker who lost three fingers in a machine accident. …Several jobs were identified as hazardous for young workers, including construction, forestry, food processing, the oil, gas and power sectors, work that involves asbestos removal, and being in confined spaces.

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The 2022 Vancouver Island Safety Conference returns

BC Forest Safety Council
September 20, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West
After two years hiatus due to the pandemic, this free conference is back with forestry-related safety topics focussing around this year’s theme – Lead the Way | Resiliency, Opportunity, Engagement. This full-day, in-person conference includes refreshments and lunch for conference attendees and features a variety of speakers as well as a trade show with targeted safety products and services. This year’s keynotes speakers include former NHL goaltender, Corey Hirsch, leadership expert Hall of Fame speaker, Michelle Ray and “Brain-guy” Terry Small, master teacher and Canada’s leading learning skills specialist. Saturday, October 29th, at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, BC

 

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Logging truck submerged in Penticton, B.C. after crashing through guardrail

By Doyle Potenteau
Global News
September 13, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

A logging truck was submerged in Penticton Channel after crashing through a guardrail along the Channel Parkway in Penticton, B.C. RCMP say the overnight incident caused significant damage to the guardrail at the parkway’s end, and repairs are underway. According to police, the single-vehicle incident happened around 1:30 a.m., and there were no injuries. They also said alcohol and speed were not factors in the collision. “We want to alert drivers, cyclists and pedestrians that the guardrail has been seriously damaged on the south side of the bridge,” said Const. Dayne Lyons. The RCMP say the submerged truck remains in the channel while the province conducts transportation and environmental investigations.

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What employers need to know about winter driving

BC Truck Loggers Association and Shift into Winter
September 12, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Winter driving can be dangerous for logging truck drivers, no matter how much experience they have. The risk of being in a crash increases in poor weather and road conditions. Snowy or icy logging roads, steep grades, and new or unfamiliar routes are just a few of the potential hazards. That’s why it’s time for employers to start planning now to reduce the risk – before the seasons change. The annual Shift into Winter campaign recommends preparing drivers and work vehicles for what’s ahead. Tire and chain regulations for commercial vehicles take effect October 1 in BC. Keeping your people safe is good business. It’s also your legal responsibility. To help meet your responsibilities, develop or update your winter driving safety policy and procedures. Also review our Winter Driving Safety Tool Kit for Employers. …Shift into Winter’s training resources for employers include our Keeping Your Employees Safe During Winter Driving webinar and Winter Driving Safety for Employers and Supervisors online course.

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Western Canada: After summer wildfires in B.C., the province’s Alert Ready system still falls short

By Wendy Cox and James Keller
The Globe and Mail
September 3, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

At one point last month, more than 500 homes were on evacuation order as the Keremeos wildfire swept through an area in British Columbia’s Okanagan. None of those people received the warning to get out via Alert Ready, Canada’s direct-to-cellphone alerting system designed specifically to warn the public of natural disasters. In neighboring Alberta, 10 wildfire messages were issued through Alert Ready last year and two already this year. Apparently, British Columbia is not an early adopter. The province came under heavy criticism last year after The Globe’s Colin Freeze reported that despite last summer’s deadly heat wave and wildfires, followed by last November’s even deadlier flooding, British Columbia had never deployed the system.  …In response, provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth promised earlier this year the system would be available in time for this summer’s forest fire season. It was.

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West Kootenay logging company fined $6,500 for unsafe practices

By Sheri Regnier
The Nelson Star
August 24, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

A West Kootenay logging business has been hit with a $6,500+ fine from WorkSafeBC after an employee was seriously injured at a job site earlier this year, just outside of Fruitvale. WorkSafeBC inspected the harvesting operation of Hlookoff Logging Ltd., located in Park Siding, in response to the March 2022 report of an injured worker. According to the WorkSafeBC report, a tree had been felled directly across a skyline (a stationary line), which caused it to jump at its other end, striking and seriously injuring a worker. WorkSafeBC says it determined that Hlookoff Logging Ltd. “routinely used uncertified workers and untrained fallers and did not adequately inspect their work.” Furthermore, WorkSafeBC reports, “The firm failed to ensure that workers who fall trees were certified and qualified to do so.

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WorkSafeBC amends rules on the refusal of unsafe work so workers can make more informed decisions

WorkSafeBC
August 22, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR) are coming into effect on Aug. 22, 2022, that will strengthen worker protections on the right to refuse unsafe work. A worker’s right to refuse unsafe work is an integral element in ensuring work is carried out safely. All workers in B.C. have the right to refuse work where there is reasonable cause to believe it would create an undue hazard to their health or safety. Prior to the amendment, the regulation did not explicitly prohibit the reassignment of refused work, or require the disclosure that another worker had refused the task due to health or safety concerns. …Under the new rules, employers are required to notify workers in writing of any unresolved work refusal due to safety concerns. It also requires employers to tell the subsequent worker the specific reasons the first worker felt the task was unsafe.

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2022 Vancouver Island Safety Conference

BC Forest Safety Council
August 22, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

After two years hiatus due to the pandemic, this free conference is back with forestry-related safety topics focussing around this year’s theme – Lead the Way | Resiliency, Opportunity, Engagement. The full-day, in-person conference includes refreshments and lunch for conference attendees and features a variety of speakers as well as a trade show with targeted safety products and services. This year’s keynotes speakers include former NHL goaltender, Corey Hirsch, leadership expert Hall of Fame speaker, Michelle Ray and “Brain-guy” Terry Small, master teacher and Canada’s leading learning skills specialist. When: Saturday, October 29, 2022. Where: Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo, BC. Please consider sponsoring this year’s conference.  Sponsorship Letter and Form If you would like to contact the VISC steering committee, or if you have registration, sponsorship or other questions about the conference please email training@bcforestsafe.org or call 1-877-741-1060.

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Helicopter TEAAM touches down on Island, offers new solution for remote rescue

By Andrew Duffy
The Times Colonist
August 21, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

With its goal of bringing advanced life support medical care to the most remote settings in the province, Squamish-based Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical has expanded its services to Campbell River. The non-profit organization, which also has centres in Squamish, Prince George and Fort St. John, has set up shop on the North Island to provide helicopter-centred, pre-hospital care in remote sites where ambulances either can’t go or take too long to access. …Randell said the forest industry in particular needs this kind of service, which is able to reach into the most dense brush and access injured workers, start applying medical treatment and get them to advanced care centres in a fraction of the time other services can. He cites an example of a forest worker who broke a leg in a remote part of Haida Gwaii in 2014. It took 11 hours to get the worker to a hospital.

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Newly-launched Island-based air rescue team has few equivalents in North America

The Northern View
August 18, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Miles Randell

Campbell River’s Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical (TEAAM) base is up and running, with crews ready to respond quickly to emergencies in hard-to-reach places on Vancouver Island and the North Coast. “What we do is different than search and rescue and different than ambulance,” said Miles Randell, president of TEAAM Aeromedical. “It’s called ‘medically directed rescue.’ We marry the level of medical care with the ability to rescue someone. …The placement in Campbell River means that TEAAM can make good use of their two-hour-and-20-minute flight time before refuelling. Randell said their response time is about “a tenth of the time frame that it would take an ambulance to get someone out of those situations.” …The base launched on August 10. An open house was attended by supporters like the Truck Loggers Association, Interfor, and Western Forest Products.

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New medivac team providing quicker hospital link for remote Island workers

Nanaimo News Now
August 16, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

NANAIMO — An expanding medivac service has set up shop in Campbell River, creating a more stable and quicker response time for injured people on Vancouver Island. Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical, or TEAAM, began operations in 2018 in Squamish and quickly expanded out to Prince George and Fort St. John. Miles Randell, TEAAM president, said their most recent development is a new, permanent base in Campbell River which officially opened Aug. 1. “It’s a faster response time for North Island. We are able to access the Campbell River area from Squamish…but it’s probably another 40 minutes faster if we’re accessing it from the Campbell River area.” …Among many other collaborations, TEAAM has worked with the BC Truck Loggers Association, the City of Campbell River and the Strathcona Regional District to make the Island base a reality.

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Top 5 forestry safety risks and how to avoid them

By Shane Mercer
Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine
November 3, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

The forestry industry has made huge strides in safety over the years. In 1992 there were 471 lost time injuries in the industry and according to the latest WSIB statistics there were 31 lost time injuries in 2021. Despite the progress, there is still room for improvement according to Tom Welton, the director for health and safety services and education programs at Workplace Safety North. He says the industry has seen at least one fatality a year for the past five years, “it continues to be a very high-risk industry and the potential of a severe incident right to the extent of a fatality is always there on a daily basis.”

  1. Workers taking shortcuts
  2. Machine lockout
  3. Maintenance
  4. Maintenance
  5. Psychosocial- fatigue, distraction, and stress

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Forestry Firefighters Disappointed by Exclusion from Expanded Cancer, Cardiac Coverage

VOCM
October 19, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees, the union that represents forestry firefighters across the province says they’re “extremely disappointed” that such workers have been left out of expanded presumptive cancer and cardiac coverage. The changes, which expand presumptive coverage to eight new cancers as well as cardiac events that occur within 24 hours of a firefighter responding to an emergency, were debated in the House of Assembly yesterday. When asked about forestry firefighters not being covered under the legislation, the minister responsible for Workplace NL, Bernard Davis, says those workers are a “different animal.” He says the carcinogens emitted from forest fires are different from those emitted from the materials burned in house fires that cause the cancer. Davis says none of the work firefighters do is safe, but that group is not covered under the legislation. 

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Pulp and Paper Webinar: New Research on Root Causes of Deficient Lockout of Machinery

Workplace Safety North
October 19, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

You’re invited to attend a free webinar, “New Research on Root Causes of Deficient Lockout of Machinery,” on Thursday, November 17, 2022, from 1:30 to 2:30 pm ET. In November 2020, as part of the new risk-based approach to improving Ontario health and safety, a group of subject matter experts from the pulp and paper industry met virtually to take a deep dive into the root causes and controls for the top industry risk they had identified: inadequate or improper lockout of machinery. Speakers Jerry Traer and Tom Welton (Workplace Safety North) will present: Top health and safety risks for pulp and paper workers; Top 10 root causes of deficient lockout of machines; Short-term and long-term control activities to prevent deficient lockout of machines; and Communicating risk and prevention in the sector.

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Balsam fir needles can kill ticks that cause Lyme disease, Dalhousie researcher finds

CBC News
August 18, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East

Shelley Adamo

When Nova Scotia scientist Shelley Adamo noticed ticks avoid balsam fir trees, her professional instincts kicked in. Adamo, a professor in the department of psychology and neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said she noticed ticks often didn’t survive winter on her South Shore property which has thick stands of balsam fir trees. Adamo said she had a “realistic hunch” that she should study the effects of balsam fir trees on Ixodes scapularis, the blacklegged tick that is a vector for Lyme disease. First discovered in Lyme, Conn., in the 1970s Lyme disease is now a common tick-borne disease that can cause fever, joint pain, rash and other longer-lasting effects. The results of a three-year study into how balsam fir needles could help control tick populations was published on July 29 in Scientific Reports. Adamo spoke to Emma Smith of CBC Radio’s Mainstreet NS about what she discovered. 

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Toxic wildfire smoke raises health risks across the country

By Matt Vasilogambros, Pew Charitable Trusts
The Washington Post
November 13, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States

State public health officials and experts are increasingly concerned about residents’ chronic exposure to toxin-filled smoke. This year has seen the most wildfires of the past decade.  …As researchers focus on the public health effects, state health and environmental officials across the country have had to issue more air quality notices and provide guidance and shelter for residents struggling during periods of heavy wildfire smoke. And while wildfires generally create more immediate, visible disruptions to life for people in the West, researchers are concerned that particulate matter may actually affect the breathing of more people in the more heavily populated Eastern states. …The Clean Air Act has substantially decreased the level of toxic particles from industrial and automotive pollution across the country since 1970. …But air pollution is expected to worsen in parts of the West because of wildfires, some researchers have found.

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How stored wood pellets can set off a carbon monoxide alarm

By Calvin Cutler
WCAX
September 20, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States

WILLIAMSTOWN, Vermont – Fire crews in Williamstown say a smoke alarm warned a homeowner about a bag of wood pellets that almost spontaneously combusted. The Williamstown Fire Department was called to a home on Falls Bridge Road for a chirping carbon monoxide detector. After struggling to find the source of the odorless gas, they noticed a stack of wood pellet bags was heating up. Like wet stacked hay, the bagged wood pellets in the bags began to oxidize and heated up to 125 degrees. So officials are reminding people to store them safely and check their smoke alarms. “The best thing if you do store them inside is to make sure you have a working smoke detector or CO detector to give that quick awareness that something isn’t right,” Williamstown Fire Chief William Graham said.

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Dust Explosions: Different Standards, Different Properties, and Different Precautions

Occupational Health & Safety Magazine
September 2, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States

If you are handling or processing combustible dusts, you will have heard of National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 652: Standard on Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts. …By now you should have completed the mandated DHA (Dust Hazards Analysis) and acted on the findings, but what if your powder is non-standard? Does it have a broad particle size distribution? Maybe it is a mixture of other powders or you’re handling multiple powders such that testing becomes factorially uneconomic? And what if your industry has its own NFPA combustible dust standards? There are some five industry and/or commodity-specific dust explosion standards; which one should you use when there is contradiction? This FREE WEBINAR presentation sets out a path to gaining a proper understanding of your dust explosion risks, even when the risks presented by your powders are more complicated or difficult to ascertain than usual. Date: October 13, 2022

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Wildfire smoke alters immune cells, promoting inflammation

By Bill Gabbert
Wildfire Today
October 31, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

Immune cells that normally protect against inflammation and infections can be altered by wildfire smoke to promote inflammation. A long list of diseases are associated with  inflammation. Studies have shown that healthy individuals and those with pre-existing conditions are affected by the very small PM2.5 particles produced by wildfire smoke. Below are excerpts from an article written by Tori Rodriguez first published in Pulmonology Advisor. It covers the effects of smoke on humans and suggests what could be done to mitigate the potential damage. One idea is for fire and local officials when considering evacuation guidelines to plan for not only the dangers of flames, but also the effects of smoke.

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Why Seattle currently has the worst air quality in the world

By Shannon Osaka
The Washington Post
October 20, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

SEATTLE — Seattle had the worst air quality in the world Thursday, with a heavy mix of fog and smoke blotting out the horizon, the surrounding mountains and the Space Needle. It was the second day in a row that the city had the worst air quality on earth, beating out famously polluted cities such as Beijing and Delhi. Seattle’s air quality index, or AQI, reached over 240 on Wednesday and Thursday — a level defined as “very unhealthy” for all groups. According to the air quality monitoring site IQAir, Seattle’s concentration of PM 2.5 — tiny particles less than 2.5 microns in width — on Thursday afternoon was 38 times higher than the annual guideline recommended by the World Health Organization. The cause was forest fires raging in the Cascade Mountains, combined with weeks of unusually dry and hot weather.

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Second wildland firefighter dies in Oregon this month, fourth at least since 2020

By Zach Urness
Statesman Journal
August 19, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

A wildland firefighter died while battling a wildfire in southern Oregon on Thursday, the second firefighter to lose their life on an active blaze this month in Oregon. No details about the death were released other than that the incident took place on a fire in Josephine County, where both state and federal firefighters are battling multiple lightning-ignited fires from a thunderstorm that hit the area earlier this week. The individual’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, officials said in a statement. “Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time,” a statement from the Oregon Department of Forestry and Bureau of Land Management said. “The cause is under investigation and more details will be released as they are confirmed.”

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Timber harvest operations limits public traffic on Gravina Island

KINY Radio Alaska
August 15, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

Ketchikan, Alaska – With deer hunting activity increasing in the region, the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection is reminding the public about vehicle restrictions on Vallenar Bay Road on Gravina Island near Ketchikan. The road is currently restricted to commercial and administrative traffic associated with active timber harvest operations. The public is discouraged from using the road during periods of road construction, log hauling, cutting, or logging occurring on or near the road, to protect public safety, equipment, and timber value. Restrictions are intended to help ensure the safety of both the public and a contractor conducting timber harvests… Logging trucks have limited maneuverability on the narrow, one-lane road and encounters with public traffic pose a risk to all involved.

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With a new set of legislators, counties worry that timber truck weight increase will come up again

By Margaret Kates
Alabama.com
November 8, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US East

In March 2023, when the Alabama State Legislature begins a new session, there will be a set of new and returning legislators who may have to consider a bill to increase the weight limit for timber trucks, which county and state highway officials strongly oppose. …Tony Harris, a spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Transportation said, “we all need to be concerned about safety and the quality of our roadways, and one of the best ways we can do that is by holding the line on weights.” In Alabama, the maximum weight that a timber truck can be is 80,000 pounds, with a 10% overage allowed on state and local roads. In the last legislative session, a bill in the Alabama House of Representatives would have increased the maximum weight to 84,000 pounds with a 10% overage… Though the bill died … with a new crop of legislators, the bill may come up again.

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Marinette water safe to drink as paper mill fire cleanup continues, officials say

By Becky Jacobs
The Green Bay Press-Gazette
October 21, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US East

MENOMINEE, Wisconsin — It is safe for residents in Marinette to drink and use their water after a fire earlier this month at a Michigan paper mill across the Menominee River, officials said Thursday. The fire on Oct. 6 caused more PFAS compounds to show up in the drinking water in Marinette and Menominee than normally are present, but the amount of the chemicals is still at levels that are below Wisconsin’s and Michigan’s regulatory standards, according to leaders from various federal, state and city agencies. PFAS are manmade chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products and are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in typical conditions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies continue to monitor PFAS levels after the fire and will immediately notify residents if there is a risk, the officials said.

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Missouri Presents McClain Forest Products with Second Prestigious SHARP Award for Workplace Safety

By Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
State of Missouri
September 7, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US East

Alton, MO – The Missouri Department of Labor’s On-Site Safety and Health Consultation Program announced the Alton, Missouri, facility of McClain Forest Products LLC as the newest member of the state’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). “The SHARP program is dedicated to promoting a culture of safety for workers at Missouri businesses,” said Anna Hui, Director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. “Once again, we congratulate the team at McClain Forest Products for achieving their workplace safety goals, and to the Alton facility in joining an elite group of Missouri businesses that includes their Van Buren location.” The company, a leading supplier of kiln dried hardwood lumber and flooring products, was honored for its achievement during a ceremony on Sept. 7, at its place of business in Alton.

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Four injured from steam release at WestRock Roanoke Rapids paper mill

Nip Impressions
August 29, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US East

 — Four people were injured, including one critically, from steam released from a valve at a Roanoke Rapids paper mill. The incident happened at WestRock around 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 25. “Just to make you aware, we had a machine blow up at 100 Gaston Road,” radio traffic reported about the incident. United Steel Workers said two of the employees had to be airlifted from WestRock. The union also has a team helping the employees’ families. Roanoke Rapids police said the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will likely be investigating. The cause of the incident remained under investigation, the spokesman said.

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University of Tennessee researchers receive $2.75 million grant to investigate movement of amphibian pathogens

By University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
EurekAlert
August 12, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US East

The evolution, emergence and spread of novel pathogens has been widely discussed even before the first case of COVID-19 was reported in 2019. A team of researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has received a $2.75 million grant to identify disease mitigation strategies that will minimize the risk of amphibian pathogens spreading from captive pet populations to wild populations and negatively impacting biodiversity. The project, “Socioeconomic and Epidemiological Drivers of Pathogen Dynamics in Wildlife Trade Networks,” is being funded by the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Program… The goal of the study is to identify how socio-economic decisions and pathogen dynamics impact each other in a wildlife trade network. …Many infectious outbreaks, like that of monkeypox, chronic wasting disease and COVID-19, have been linked to wildlife trade. These outbreaks cost economies trillions of dollars, cripple biodiversity and result in substantial loss of human life.

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The Influence of Material Flow on Pellet Mill Performance

By Holger Streetz
Biomass Magazine
August 25, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

Wood dust is a byproduct of all wood manufacturing. Thus, all wood processors have dust management for safety reasons in common. For a dust explosion to happen, all that is required is a single spark from a hot surface or an electrical device. When the dust disperses and mixes with atmospheric oxygen, ignition in an enclosed or contained area causes an explosion. However, it is often not the first reaction that is devastating, but the much larger amount of dust aroused by the blast wave. This can ultimately lead to a chain reaction that can potentially destroy a whole plant. If there is a risk of accumulating wood dust, the main hazard control measures are good housekeeping, well maintained equipment to reduce any ignition risk, and existing controls to reduce the effects of an explosion, such as vents or dust collectors. 

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Understanding wildfire weather to increase safety in aerial firefighting

By Ed Brotak
Vertical Magazine
August 15, 2022
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

As wildfires begin to be something of a year-round hazard for hotspots around the world, the spotlight on safety in aerial firefighting operations is increasing in intensity. Understanding wildfire behavior is a key element to safe operation, and to best understand wildfire behavior, you need to know how various weather conditions impact wildfires. Specific wildfire weather elements are provided by government meteorological services. Helicopter pilots working a wildfire will check these wildfire weather forecasts, as well as following their own individual routine for getting weather information prior to takeoff. …Significant fires require a multifaceted response directed from a command center, typically located close to the fire site. In an almost military-type operation, both land crews and aerial support will be engaged in the control effort. …Aerial operations (or air ops) will have their own briefing, with special emphasis on the weather conditions that will affect aircraft assignments.

 

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Power of Pellets: Innovating our way to a safer better product

By Gordon Murray, Executive Director
Wood Pellet Association of Canada
September 30, 2022
Category: Health & Safety

Wood Pellet Association of Canada members never stop working and looking at innovative new ways to make our industry safer and stronger. The latest video in the Power of Pellets series, Innovating Our Way to a Safer Better Product highlights some of the pioneering safety initiatives underway over the past two years. The video focuses on four main areas: combustible dust, deflagration isolation, belt dryer safety and off-gassing in transportation. These are the stories from the people on the ground who are passionate about keeping each other safe so they can all go home to their families at the end of the day in the same condition as they came to work. …Premium Pellets in Vanderhoof is one of the Sinclar Group of Forest Products plants that manufactures quality wood pellets for both domestic and global markets. As Dave Herzig puts it… “It’s safety by choice, not by chance.”

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