Several measures are in place to keep workers safe at Langley Township-run ice arenas, says the municipality’s recreation manager.
This in the wake of the tragedy in Fernie, where two city workers and one out-of-town contractor were killed after a suspected ammonia leak at the Fernie Memorial Arena.
Langley Township operates the ice and curling rinks at the George Preston Recreation Centre, as well as the ice rink at Aldergrove Arena.
Community recreation manager Rob Stare noted that ammonia control plans are set up at both facilities, as required by Worksafe BC.
Both facilities are aging, with the GPRC about to celebrate the 44th anniversary of its opening of Nov. 8, 1973.
“Then there are safe work procedures that are part of that — the regular processes for maintenence,” Stare added.
“You’ve got to have the things that deal with personal protective equipment, evacuation procedures, that kind of thing.”
Alarm systems are installed in each of the ammonia plants with sensors that would alert workers to levels of ammonia.
“Before you go into the room you’d look at the panel, it says zero, then you’re safe to go in and do the work that you need to do,” Stare said. “Every two hours they do readings at the plant… the compressors, where they’re at, so it’s monitored 24/7 and the preventative maintenence that goes on, on a regular basis.”
In Fernie, the arena was closed Tuesday for repairs to the refrigeration service, according to a statement from the city.
Reports of the ammonia leak came in at about 11:30 a.m. Firefighters arrived at the arena to find one person who was taken to hospital after receiving CPR. Two others were discovered shortly after, and the area was evacuated.
Stare said any leaks at the Township rinks have been small and controlled, and rectified.
“It’s rare to hear about a large-scale ammonia leak, “and even more rare to hear of a death,” he added.
“To hear about three, it’s pretty shocking,” Stare said. “It would had to have been something outside the normal, what you plan for. Our hearts obviously go out to the families and friends of all those people affected, there.”
At the Langley Events Centre, which opened in 2009 and is home to the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants, general manager Derek Cooke said the events centre has a “top-of-the-line system.”
“We have monitored alarms in place,” Cooke said. “If there is any leak detected at very low levels, the alarm system will go off, so it notifies the monitoring company. And that’s at levels that aren’t dangerous or deadly.”
Cooke said there are a series of different alarms depending on the levels of ammonia that are detected.
“We have evacuation plans in order if necessary to evacuate the building that our operations staff oversees,” Cooke said.
Recently, all of the valves at the LEC were resurfaced as part of routine maintenence.
“We’ve never had any safety issues here, to the best of my knowledge,” Cooke said.
The events centre’s ammonia plant is in a locked room that doesn’t allow access to most LEC workers and the general public.
“Only a few of us have keys that would access that area,” Cooke said.
