Sarnia ON (4/13/2018) – Convicted – Veolia ES Canada Industrial Services Inc.

Description of Offence – The conviction relates to the company altering equipment without a Certificate of Approval (Air) amendment.

Date of Offence – Beginning on or about April 1, 2013 and ending on or about October 25, 2014

Date of Conviction – April 12, 2018

Penalty Imposed – Veolia ES Canada Industrial Services Inc. was convicted of one offence under the EPA and was fined $175,000 plus a Victim Fine Surcharge (VFS) of $43,750, with 60 days to pay the fine.

Background –

Veolia provides industrial cleaning, mechanical and maintenance services, from a facility on Scott Rd. in Sarnia (the site).
In 1997, Veolia was issued a CofA/Air for mobile dust collectors, to be used for cleaning and painting projects in non-routine maintenance operations.
Veolia workers were involved with a process known as Thermal Spray Aluminum (TSA) at the site. Overspray aluminum particles from the TSA process were collected by a dust collector which was situated outside.
Although the TSA operations required an alteration to Veolia’s dust collection system, the company did not apply to the ministry, nor had it obtained an amendment to the company’s CofA/Air, to allow for the alteration.
On October 25, 2014, material inside the dust collector ignited creating an explosion inside the dust collector unit. Fire from the initial explosion traveled quickly through the dust collector ducts back into the workplace creating a second explosion.
The incident was referred to the ministry’s Investigations and Enforcement Branch, resulting in charges and one conviction.

Contacts: Members of the media: Communications Branch gary.s.wheeler@ontario.ca 416-314-6666
Contact information for the general public: 416-325-4000