Category
Hazmat
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Out of control Saskatchewan wildfire triggers state of emergency, evacuation
BIGGAR, Sask. – Wildfire smoke and concerns about air quality have sparked a large community and surrounding area in west-central Saskatchewan to declare a state of emergency The Town of Biggar and Rural Municipality of Biggar declared the emergency overnight…
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Precautionary evacuation for Red Deer, Alta., residents due to industrial fire
RED DEER, Alta. – Residents from 80 homes in the central Alberta city of Red Deer have been asked to leave as a precaution due to a large industrial fire. Others in the Oriole Park and Oriole Park West neighbourhoods…
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B.C. to expand firefighter occupational disease coverage to wildfire fighters
VICTORIA – Firefighters who have battled British Columbia wildfires, fire investigators and fire crews working for Indigenous groups will be eligible for greater access to job-related health compensation under legislation introduced Thursday. Labour Minister Harry Bains tabled amendments to the…
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Protect against respiratory hazards with knowledge
A multitude of toxic gases may be present depending on the environment. For those who work in confined spaces, ship repair or mining, workers need to be acutely aware of all hazardous materials to which they might be exposed, and…
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Second Wind
Most of us take breathing for granted. But the simple, instinctive act of respiration may be threatened in work environments where hazardous dust, fumes, gases or vapours may be contaminating the air. Jobs that require respirators include refineries, pulp and…
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Wildfires: Tackling emerging respiratory hazards
In recent years, western Canada has been battling more frequent and severe wildfires, giving rise to safety concerns over the ability of emergency protocols and procedures to protect first responders who attend to such emergency situations. A good case in…
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Comfort a key factor in revised respiratory-protection standards
The latest edition of the CSA Standard Z94.4-18 Selection, Use and Care of Respirators, published last fall, saw the introduction of several significant changes. One of them is making user comfort a key factor when selecting respirators. “While attention to…
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Higher cancer rates found in Edmonton residential area near creosote site
EDMONTON – The Alberta government says soil sample tests at a former wood-treatment facility confirm there are hazards to human health. The province had issued health and environmental orders last March to protect people in the residential area of northeast…
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CN still tallying amount of oil spilled in Manitoba train derailment
ST. LAZARE, Man. – CN is still tallying up the amount of oil spilled in a train derailment on a ranch in western Manitoba. “We are still determining volume estimates at this time,” company spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said in an…
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TSB says improved tankers involved in Manitoba derailment that spilled crude
ST. LAZARE, Man. – Federal investigators say CN railcars that spilled crude after derailing on farm land in western Manitoba were upgraded tankers. The Transportation Safety Board says 37 of 110 cars went off the tracks early Saturday near St.…
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Officials still working out how much oil leaked from derailment in Manitoba
ST-LAZARE, Man. – Canadian National Railway says it doesn’t yet know how much oil leaked from a derailment in western Manitoba, but it says trains are now running on the line again. The railway said Saturday there was “a partial…
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Sulphur leaks, traffic disrupted, when semi rolls on northern Alberta highway
GRASSLAND, Alta. – A busy northern Alberta highway was left impassable after crews moved in to clean up molten sulphur that leaked from a flipped semi-trailer truck. The single-vehicle accident happened Monday on Highway 63, east of the community of…
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Media report cites workplace concerns at site of Alberta plant explosion
A media report says a wood pellet plant west of Edmonton where a fire and explosion occurred this week was also the scene of a fire early last month Three people, including one with serious injuries, were sent to hospital…
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Head wounds among injuries suffered in explosion at Alberta wood pellet plant
Three people were taken to hospital after an explosion at an industrial wood pellet plant about 100 kilometres west of Edmonton. Parkland County officials say several emergency vehicles were sent to the Pinnacle Renewable Energy plant in Entwistle around 2:30…
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Smoke from wildfire is like a ‘chemical soup,’ says fire researcher
VANCOUVER – Inhaling smoke from a wildfire can be equal to smoking a couple of packs of cigarettes a day depending on its thickness, says a researcher studying wildfires in Western Canada. Mike Flannigan, a professor with the Department of…
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Cape Breton coal mine cited for breaking reporting rules in ‘massive’ cave in
HALIFAX – Officials at an undersea Cape Breton coal mine broke a provincial regulation by not reporting a massive roof cave-in until government inspectors showed up 15 days after the first rock crashed down, according to provincial documents citing the…
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Canada reduces presence in Cuba after another diplomat falls mysteriously ill
OTTAWA – A 14th Canadian has fallen ill to an unexplained illness in Havana, Cuba, prompting further reductions in embassy staffing in the country. Canadian government officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say Global Affairs Canada will consider halving…
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Four workers injured in propane explosion outside Mississauga strip mall
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Police say four workers have been taken to hospital after a propane explosion outside a strip mall in Mississauga, Ont. Peel regional police Const. Harinder Sohi says five roofers showed up for work around 7 a.m. Thursday…
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Fire next door to B.C. pipeline fuel tank facility under control
BURNABY, B.C. – A fire just a few hundred metres from the Kinder Morgan fuel tank facility in Metro Vancouver raged for a few hours before it was contained by about three dozen firefighters. Burnaby Fire Department Deputy Chief Dave…
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Carbon monoxide leak that sent 43 to hospital spurs Montreal school inspections
MONTREAL – Two children remained in hospital for observation Tuesday morning following a carbon monoxide leak that made 43 people at a Montreal elementary school sick. Health authorities say all other patients have been discharged, and there is no reason…