Combustible Dust

We continue to invest in equipment and training to extract and contain combustible dust at our manufacturing facilities. In BC, where explosions at two sawmills in 2012 led to increased concern about the issue, we have invested close to $23 million in capital improvements related to wood dust since 2012.

Across the company, we introduced tablet-based auditing in 2016 so employees can audit dust in our facilities more efficiently and accurately, and share the information. This allows for quick corrective actions and supports continuous improvement. We used a combustible dust training video, shared best practices among operations, and improved consistency in standards across the company.

As a result of our emphasis, WorkSafeBC gave our BC mills a 100% positive inspection report in 2016, with no orders associated with combustible dust.