Features Health and Safety Sawmilling
BC warns of dust crackdown

Mar. 17, 2014 – After a recent report detailed continued high levels of dust in sawmills around the province of British Columbia, Jobs Minister Shirley Bond warned sawmill owners that they must comply to new regulations to curtail dust or they will face tough consequences. Those consequences will include shutdowns.

According to CILA's newsletter, Bond met with industry officials last week to demand compliance but of the 144 active sawmills in BC, only 55 mills have signed on to the safety campaign. Many of the no shows were independent mill owners who have not joined the major forestry companies who have adopted to new standards.

"Bond is encouraging WorksSafeBC to use its ability to halt production in the face of unsafe working conditions," says the association newsletter.

The newsletter reports that Canfor and West Fraser Timber have invested a combined total of $34 million for dust mitigation and their CEOs have led a safety group that developed voluntary audits to help mills reach compliance.

For more information on the Central Interior Logging Association, Interior Logging Association and the Northwest Logging Association go to www.cila.ca.

March 17, 2014  By  Amie Silverwood