Propane Problem for Dunnville, ON Arena

The Ontario Ministry of Labour forces Dunnville arena to undergo several changes after dangerous propane fumes were found pooling at the bottom of the ice pit:

Condensed from The Dunnville Chronicle
Wed 28 Aug 2002
Karen Best

A dangerous pooling of propane fumes in the Dunnville arena has led to an Ontario Ministry of Labour order to get the fumes out of the arena or replace the 24 year old propane fueled ice resurfacer.

The potentially fatal situation was discovered by the ministry when officials came to do an inspection of the arena in late July, said leisure services manager Rick Lane.

The ministry discovered propane fumes, which are heavier than air, sink to the bottom of the pit where ice is dumped.

The ministry identified several alternatives including: * constructing a ramp out of the arena to allow ice dumping outside; - installing a fan and vent in the ice resurfacer room to move propane fumes outside (a $100,000 cost); - retrofit the existing ice resurfacer to natural gas or purchasing a new ice resurfacer.

The purchases will be completed before the ice season begins. Ice resurfacers at the three other arenas are gasoline powered and roofs are vented to release fumes.

During the inspection, the ministry also ordered the county to provide staff with masks and protective suits to wear when they worked around ammonia. Eye wash stations are also required in all four of the county arenas. These items added up to $11,000.

The 2002 Young Worker Safety Campaign, operated by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and launched in June, features a fatal arena accident. Tim Hickman, 20, was working on an ice resurfacer at a London arena when it exploded. He died ten days later.