Rink safety sparks concerns

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This article was published 16/01/2018 (3050 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Knowing what he knows, grandfather Ray Kolbuch says he has one concern that’s probably not shared by most when they watch kids take to the ice at an indoor arena.

“Is there a licensed operator on?”

The deaths of three people from an ammonia gas leak in a B.C. arena in October and the way Manitoba handles its indoor rink inspections worries the retired provincial government official, who was in charge of training and making sure that legislation designed to prevent poisonous gas leaks was followed.

Kolbuch was employed by the mechanical and engineering division of Manitoba Labour for 39 years as a field inspector, chief examiner and training development officer. The department was taken over by the Office of the Fire Commissioner and Kolbuch is concerned that it’s not following regulations as closely as before.

For instance, ammonia refrigeration plants of the size required for an indoor rink are required to have a licensed operating engineer on-site when occupied and the province used to keep track of who had up-to-date credentials and that shifts at arenas were all covered.

Now, the Office of the Fire Commissioner says it’s up to the owner of the arena “to ensure that they are meeting staffing requirements.”

Kolbuch said it’s up to the province to enforce that all shifts in a refrigeration plant are staffed properly. He compared it to the Highway Traffic Act and police enforcing it by checking that drivers on the road have licences.

“The Office of the Fire Commissioner not only must inform the owner of plants what their staffing requirements are, but also must enforce what the (Power Engineers) Act and regulations prescribed,” Kolbuch said. “The enforcer of the act must ensure that staffing requirements are met for plant operation,” he said.

“The regulation dictates that the operating area can’t be left for more than 20 minutes,” he said. After hours, when it is unoccupied, the building can go on “guarded status,” with electrical controls monitoring the systems, Kolbuch said. “The controls need to be checked.”

“The Power Engineers Act regulations are there for a reason,” he said.

“Ammonia is quite deadly. You’re gasping for air and not getting any.”

Kolbuch said he’ll never forget the impact of a tiny ammonia gas leak, during an inspection of a refrigeration plant at a processing operation in Winnipeg many years ago.

“When I walked in, it was like hitting a pane of glass,” he said.

“As soon as ammonia is exposed, it’s attacking the moisture in your lungs. It will attack your eyes or any area with moisture.”

Kolbuch said he’s also concerned about the inspection and testing of indoor ice rink refrigeration plants and their safety controls before they re-open for the season.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner spokesman — who said he’s not to be identified by name — said the testing can be witnessed by inspectors, or a third party can conduct the test with the results reviewed by inspectors.

Kolbuch said it’s the province’s responsibility to inspect the systems and if arenas have to hire a contractor to test them, he questions the role of inspectors and how test results are being monitored and verified by inspectors.

“These statutes are written for the safety of the public. Inspectors are paid to ensure this safety. They must know what the hazards are if safety controls and uncertified staff are operating these plants,” Kolbuch said.

“I want to know that an arena my family plays in meets the requirements of the act and regulations, as prescribed by the minister (in charge),” Kolbuch said.

“Is this plant operated in a safe manner, and by whom?” Kolbuch said he’s waiting to see results from the investigation into the ammonia gas leak Oct. 17 at the Fernie Memorial Arena in B.C. that killed three people, and when and how it was last inspected.

“I don’t want anything to happen,” said Kolbuch, who goes to watch his grandson play indoor ice hockey. “A five-year-old kid is not going to last long.” He urges indoor-rink visitors to be vigilant and ask some questions for their own peace of mind.

“Ask, ‘Is there a licensed operator on staff?’,” he said. If the answer is yes, ask to see the operator and their licence, Kolbuch said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca