Alarms over a health concern rang for employees at Lafarge’s Exshaw cement plant on Wednesday (Oct. 28) and prompted a shut down in procedures.
Certain portions of Lafarge’s expansion construction project will cease operations while a precautionary investigation into health aspects are done, triggered by unsatisfactory lead content in materials.
The investigation surrounding health safety and concerns is in regard to paint on materials supplied to Lafarge by a “major engineering company.”
Any type of work that can create fumes on the site, such as welding, have been halted until further notice. Cement plant personnel have contacted provincial health and safety and environmental regulators regarding their concerns and normal plant operations will continue.
The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) supplied to Lafarge suggests they have no cause for concern with the paint on the materials; however, preliminary testing on some of the paint samples sparked the precautionary cease of operations until further testing can be done.
Tom Seaboyer, construction manager on site, raised the initial worry to Lafarge. The safety and wellbeing of employees is the top priority, said Michelle Gurney, communications and community relations at Lafarge.
“We (Lafarge) have stopped construction on certain parts of the project as a precaution because we actually need to better understand what is the satisfactory lead content limit for industrial coatings,” Gurney said. “It’s fair to say there is some confusion with the regulation, that’s what we’re looking at right now.
“Because we’re uncertain, we’ve stopped the work and we need to make sure the material is safe.”
Gurney said no employees have reported illness or ailments.
Roberto Ocon, director, health and safety, Lafarge Western Canada, said 90 parts per million of lead is standard for the content for the material.
“At this point … we’re double checking the sample to make sure it was a mistake or if we know whether the paint was localized to a specific area so we can take care of it in a proper manner,” Ocon said.
According to Lafarge, the potential health risks “are only applicable to those workers not wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment in the vicinity of activities such as grinding and welding.”
Lafarge’s Exshaw plant is in the midst of a massive, multi-million dollar expansion and modernization expected to be completed by summer 2015.
