MSA Safety in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania has developed a new gas detector for methane, propane and other combustible substances. The Ultima Open Path Infrared Detector has an infrared source and receiver that provide continuous monitoring for gases in either the 0-to-5000 ppm/metre range or the 0-to-5 LEL/metre range. It includes a digital display, relay contacts, multiple communication outputs and automatic gain control. The detector also has adjustable mounting arms that facilitate setup and alignment. Required maintenance on the detector is minimal. MSA recommends the product for a variety of work environments and applications, including compressor stations, drilling and production platforms, fence-line monitoring and fuel-loading facilities. More information is available at http://www.MSAGasDetection.com.
Category Archives: Hazmat
Subway line shuts down due to “environmental spill”
TORONTO, Ont. – A downtown portion of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway’s Line 1 was temporarily shut down on the late evening of March 23 and the morning of the following day, due to the leak of an unknown substance near College Station. The shutdown began at about 11:30 p.m., after the detection of an unidentified liquid – which smelled like gasoline – streaming through an expansion joint just north of the station. TTC press statements referred to the incident as an “environmental spill.” Toronto Water and Enbridge worked with the TTC overnight to detect whether the liquid was flammable. The next morning, 70 shuttle buses operated between nine subway stations as crews from the TTC, Toronto Fire Services and the municipality sought the source of the spill. The workers caulked the station’s expansion joints to stop further leaks and applied an absorbent to the train tracks to solidify the liquid before cleaning and power-washing the area. After sending test trains through the station to ensure that signals and switches were still operational, the TTC reopened the line section at about 1:35 p.m.
Danatec offers updated WHMIS training to incorporate new standard
Now that Canada has adopted the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) as its new standard for hazard classification, this means immediate changes to the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) to align as closely as possible with the international standard. Danatec is now offering online WHMIS training that has been updated to adapt to the GHS. A worker can complete Danatec’s course in only a few hours, the company’s website says. The training includes an overview of the new WHMIS and its hazards and labels, as well as new video content and integrated gaming experiences, covering such content as personal protection, emergency actions and special situations. There are also printable resources for easy reference, as well as a printable WHMIS 2015 certificate upon completion. Bulk pricing is available, including $26.95 per course for more than 200 workers. For more information, visit https://www.danatec.com/industry-news/whmis-is-changing-to-adopt-the-ghs/.
NIOSH publishes guidelines for reducing crystalline-silica exposure in asphalt work
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the U.S. has recently released a 79-page e-booklet, Best Practice Engineering Control Guidelines to Control Worker Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica during Asphalt Pavement Milling. These guidelines are the result of more than a decade of collaborative research by the Silica/Asphalt Milling Machine Partnership, which is made up of government organizations, unions and industry members from NIOSH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to numerous paving contractors and the Laborers International Union of North America. The booklet includes a guide to dust control on milling machines, top recommendations for how to operate and maintain dust-control systems, the health effects of respirable crystalline silica and occupational-exposure limits. Appendices include a daily dust-control checklist and an explanation of the statistical methods used. Best Practice Engineering Control Guidelines is available to download for free at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2015-105/pdfs/2015-105.pdf.
Chemical leak at pigment factory sparks evacuations
VARENNES, Que. – Several homes in the Montreal area were temporarily evacuated on the morning of March 21, after a leak of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) occurred in the chloride process unit of a Kronos Canada pigment-manufacturing plant in Varennes. The company, which creates a whitening agent called titanium dioxide, estimated in a press release that about three cubic metres of TiCl4 had spilled in the production unit at approximately 10:00 a.m. that day. The release added that the leak had resulted in no injuries or contamination to any Kronos employees and that the situation was under control. “Kronos Canada has implemented all usual environmental emergency and safety rules and procedures,” the company said, adding that it was “working in cooperation with the environmental and municipal authorities to take all appropriate measures to protect the population and the environment.” Three plant workers and two local residents received medical treatment following the leak, according to media reports.
National Energy Board investigating TransCanada over safety violations
Following a series of whistleblower allegations about safety-code violations involving natural-gas pipelines, the National Energy Board (NEB) has begun an investigation into the practices of TransCanada Corp.
NEB spokesperson Darin Barter confirmed that the corporation was being probed, but could not provide specific details, due in part to an obligation to keep the whistleblower anonymous. Reuters reported on March 19 that the allegations included poor repair work, inept welding and failure to report important safety issues, but Barter could not confirm this.
“Both the whistleblower and the NEB, we both agree that there are no public-safety or environmental concerns brought forward, but certainly some allegations that warranted investigation for compliance with regulations,” Barter said. “They’re unproven claims at this point.
“I can’t say much because it is under investigation,” he added.
The NEB notified TransCanada of the allegations on Feb. 27, according to Mark Cooper, a spokesperson for the company.
“None posed either an immediate or long-term threat to the public or our assets,” said Cooper, referring to the allegations. “Nonetheless, each and every allegation we receive is taken seriously.”
Cooper added that while TransCanada didn’t know the identity of the whistleblower, many of these allegations had already been raised and investigated internally. “We are working diligently to gather all of the relevant information to address each of these allegations for the NEB. We share the NEB’s focus on protecting the safety of the public, our workers and the environment, and we are working as quickly as possible on this process to provide information.”
This isn’t the first time that Canada’s national energy regulator has investigated TransCanada over safety concerns. Last year alone, the NEB received eight complaints from individuals across the country. In 2012, a TransCanada engineer named Evan Vokes left the company after raising a series of allegations regarding risk assessment, inspections and management review; these allegations led to a major NEB audit.
“We do encourage people to bring these allegations forward,” said Barter. “We do investigate every one of them, and every one is taken seriously.”
Cooper maintained that TransCanada also took safety concerns seriously and had an industry-leading record to back up the claim. He cited an incident rate of 0.114 per thousand kilometres of pipeline per year, which he said was lower than the average incident rates in Canada and all of Europe.
“TransCanada has spent an average of $900 million per year over the last three years on pipeline integrity and preventative-maintenance programs,” said Cooper. “We invested more than $90 million over the last five years in research and development related to pipeline safety technologies and $38 million in 2014 alone.” The company is planning to perform 150 inline pipeline inspections this year, he added.
If TransCanada fails to comply with safety regulations, it could face one of a wide range of penalties, including monetary fines and/or shutdown of a facility or pipeline, Barter explained.
“There’s varying degrees of enforcement that we can apply, and we will, if it’s warranted,” he said. “It could go up as high as we determine we need to go. It could be something more simple and correctable, such as an action plan.” For example, the NEB could demand that TransCanada correct a series of safety issues within 30 days, Barter noted.
Cooper said that the corporation already dealt with safety concerns on its own. “We encourage employees to feel comfortable reporting any breaches and retain an independent company to log and track incidents,” he said. “Should anyone be uncomfortable speaking to any of these resources or prefer to remain anonymous, the Ethics Help Line is another resource for reporting or seeking guidance.
“We will not tolerate anything that undermines the safety and reliability of our facilities.”
TSB demands better tank cars following derailments
As the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has continued to investigate three recent Canadian National (CN) derailments in Northern Ontario, Board chair Kathy Fox has spoken out, stating that a higher standard of tank cars for carrying dangerous goods is an urgent matter that Transport Canada (TC) needs to address now.
“I am reiterating my concern expressed in letters I sent to both the Minister of Transport and the Acting Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in the United States in October,” Fox said in a press statement on March 17, “in which I urged TC and its U.S. counterparts to adopt the highest possible standards for tank cars carrying flammable liquids and replace or retrofit existing tank cars as soon as practicable, so that they meet new standards.”
Fox’s statement came as the TSB released an update on its ongoing investigation into the derailment near Gogama, Ontario on March 7. The braking of an eastbound CN train, hauling 94 Class 111 tank cars full of petroleum crude, caused 39 of the cars to derail and catch fire. There were no injuries, fatalities or evacuations, but it took nearly three days to extinguish all of the fires (COHSN, March 17).
According to the TSB update, all but three of the derailed cars sustained significant damage that released enough crude to erupt into a pool fire. “Initial impressions are that these Class 111 tank cars performed similarly to those involved in the Lac-Mégantic accident,” the TSB wrote, referring to the disaster that killed 47 people in Quebec in July 2013.
“The TSB has been pointing out the vulnerability of Class 111 tank cars for many years, and the Board has called for tougher standards for all Class 111 tank cars,” the TSB added in the update. “In Lac-Mégantic, investigators found that even at lower speeds, the unprotected Class 111 tank cars ruptured.”
The update acknowledged that TC had announced a new tank-car standard, TC-117, which is expected to use thicker, stronger steel, jacketed thermal protection, full-height head shields, top fittings protection and improved bottom outlet valves. But the TSB expressed concern about the implementation timeline for the new cars.
“If older tank cars… are not phased out sooner, then the regulator and industry need to take more steps to reduce the risk of derailments or consequences following a derailment carrying flammable liquids,” the TSB wrote.
Provincial politicians have also spoken out about the risks. On March 14, Ontario Transport Minister Steven Del Duca and Quebec Transport Minister Robert Poeti sent a joint letter to federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt, urging her to take immediate action.
“There have been a number of very serious train derailments,” the ministers’ letter read. “We urge the federal government to further strengthen safety practices on rail lines, particularly for the transportation of hazardous and flammable goods, especially crude oil and ethanol.”
In addition to their vulnerability to punctures and ruptures, the Class 111 cars involved in both the March 7 incident and the nearby Feb. 14 derailment lacked a thermal-protection system, the TSB noted. “Until a more robust tank car standard with enhanced protection for all tank cars transporting flammable liquids is implemented for North America, the risk will remain,” the Board wrote.
“Canadians expect their government to ensure that the risks posed by the transportation of flammable liquids are minimized to the greatest extent possible,” said Fox.
Labour ministry, union investigate asbestos complaint
Alarm bells have been raised about the presence of asbestos and lack of sprinklers at a federal building in Ottawa, following two recent CBC media reports. But health and safety concerns at 875 Heron Road may have been resolved years ago, according to a union representative in Ottawa.
“Yes, there were certainly issues, but they were dealt with, as far as I can see,” said Marc Briere, the first national vice-president of the Union of Taxation Employees, the union representing employees at the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)-owned building. “And corrective measures have been taken.”
Briere noted that asbestos had been there from the start, but believed that workers had been aware of it for a while, although he could not say for how long. Since Briere was alerted to the CBC investigation, he has been talking with the local health and safety committee and going through years of reports.
The CBC report detailed the story of a former electrician, Denis Lapointe, who had worked for the Canada Revenue Agency from 1992 to 2008 at the Heron Rd. building and suffered negative health effects, which he now believes asbestos exposure caused. Lapointe claimed that his employer had deliberately withheld information that he had the right to know, such as potential hazardous exposure and his own medical records. The claims were the subject of a 2012 complaint to the Public Service Labour Relations Board. Lapointe uncovered, through Access to Information requests, documents that he believed showed evidence of asbestos exposure to workers during his employment.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour has confirmed that a health and safety officer is investigating a complaint related to the possible exposure of employees to asbestos at the building. “The Government of Canada is committed to preventing accidents and injury to [sic] health of employees in workplaces under federal jurisdiction,” said Andrew McGrath, director of communications for the Office of the Minister of Labour, in an email.
Most federally owned buildings in Ottawa contain asbestos because they were built before the dangers of asbestos were known, said Briere. Based on reports and conversations with local health and safety committee members, he believes some of the asbestos at 875 Heron Rd. has been treated and removed and some of it encapsulated to protect workers. “I don’t have the details, but I see multiple reports on actions that have been taken by the employer CRA and Public Works.”
Briere related that the co-chair of the committee had no concerns with air quality in the building and that a management plan ensured the safety of employees. But he admitted it was not an ideal situation. “Removal of asbestos is always the best solution because it eliminates the hazard completely,” he said.
The PWGCSC said that due to the age of the building, it was not uncommon for asbestos to be present. “That is why PWGSC commissions third-party reports on a yearly basis. These reports help identify new areas where asbestos may pose a risk,” said Annie Trepanier, media and public-relations manager for PWGSC.
“When new issues are raised, PWGSC informs the tenants as well as the Occupational Health and Safety Committee,” she added. “The PWGSC asbestos-management plan is also updated to ensure all contractors, maintenance staff or other workers are aware of the location of the asbestos, so it is not disturbed.”
Based on reports and inspections, PWGSC said, it follows an asbestos-abatement and -encapsulation program, which includes securing access to areas containing asbestos that may pose a risk, indicating its presence through signage and undertaking repairs or the removal of asbestos.
Committee not concerned about lack of sprinklers
Updates to the sprinkler system to install sprinklers throughout all floors of the high-rise building have not been made due to asbestos contamination, according to a subsequent CBC report. While not having sprinklers throughout all floors of a high-rise building contravenes current fire-code regulations, if the building was in compliance with the code when it was constructed, modifications are not necessary until major renovations take place, said a PWGSC spokesperson.
“When the building was constructed, it was compliant with the applicable code,” said Trepanier. “There is no requirement to retroactively address code changes until such time as major renovations are undertaken.”
Briere said the building did have sprinklers and that the local health and safety committee was not concerned because the building had a first-rate emergency plan. “When it comes down to it, they [the sprinklers] are not there to save lives. It’s there to protect the building,” he said, stressing that sprinklers cannot force workers to evacuate the building more quickly.
The CRA would not comment on the specific complaints, but a spokesperson said that the joint health and safety committee addresses health and safety hazards and shares information with employees.
“Our management and organizational culture ensures health and safety are fundamental considerations in every aspect of CRA business,” said Philippe Brideau, assistant director of media relations. The CRA’s occupational health and safety program not only meets, but exceeds legislative requirements, according to Brideau.
The union would be meeting with the CRA and the investigating safety officer soon to find out more, said Briere. “We are looking into it very seriously, and we are trying to make sure that we get all the answers to reassure our people. The employer is fully aware of the importance of the situation.”
White powder in envelopes sent to cabinet ministers turns out harmless
QUEBEC CITY, Que. – Members and employees of the Quebec provincial cabinet suffered a temporary scare on March 5, after envelopes containing suspicious white powder and threatening notes were sent to the riding offices of four cabinet ministers. Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel’s office in Roberval, north of Quebec City, received the first envelope around 10:00 a.m., according to information from the Quebec Provincial Police; the other envelopes went to the offices of International Aid Minister Christian Paradis, Small Business Minister Maxime Bernier and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney. The offices were evacuated and three employees were sent to hospitals as a precautionary measure, but an analysis of the powder later showed it to be harmless. “We won’t be intimidated by this,” said Lebel in a press statement following the incidents. “We don’t get into politics to be threatened, to have our employees put at risk.” The incidents occurred on the same morning on which the Quebec national assembly received a hoax bomb threat, but there was no evidence yet of a link between the two events, federal officials told the media.
MSA launches GasGard 100
MSA has launched its GasGard 100 gas detection Control System, a scalable, high performance data acquisition/data logging platform with a resistive touchscreen display.
The user-friendly, fanless design of the display makes it reliable, and the system comes with an LED indicator on the front panel for power, storage access and LAN active status, MSA said in a product announcement. Its open Ethernet connectivity, with web-based configuration and data monitoring functions, also allows GasGard 100 controllers to handle a wide range of monitoring and historical logging functions.
For more information, visit www.MSAgasdetection.com.