B.C. Forestry Industry Reels After Second Explosion

B.C. lumber | BCBusiness
B.C.’s forestry industry is left wondering what’s next after a second sawmill explosion this year killed two workers.

The second sawmill explosion this year in B.C.’s Interior calls the safety of the workplace into question and prompts the province’s mills to pinpoint potential hazards.

A series of sawmill explosions in B.C.’s Interior has delivered a one-two punch to the province’s forestry industry. After another sawmill explosion rocked the northern town of Prince George on Monday, B.C.’s mills are reeling, trying to absorb the long-term ramifications.
 
The explosion killed two workers and injured more than 20 others. In January, a Burns Lake mill also exploded, claiming the lives of two more workers. And WorkSafeBC blames built-up sawdust for the devastating fires – the organization has ordered all mills in the province to examine and rid their operations of any latent dust.
 
Apparently, pine beetles are the culprits creating this highly flammable dust, adding a new threat to the province’s stalling industry. Besides pine beetles eating away at trees and downgrading the quality of the lumber, the resulting dead trees cost mills more to process and the lumber generates the dangerous fine dust.
 
As B.C.’s remaining mills investigate the long-term impact of this new hazard, we can only wonder how many more hardships the industry can endure as operating costs increase and more mills shutter.