Until recently, the Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC) has spearheaded Canada’s unique, voluntary approach to process safety. MIACC was established in 1987 following the Union Carbide industrial disaster in Bhopal, India that lead to the deaths of over 4,200 people. The original purpose of the committee was to investigate if a similar accident could happen in Canada.

Over the years, MIACC brought together representatives from all aspects of the Canadian industrial scene for the purpose of reducing the frequency and severity of major industrial accidents. To achieve this, MIACC set about to harmonize the prevention, preparedness, and response programs across industry organizations and communities. Its member base included representatives from federal, provincial, and municipal governments, non-governmental organizations, and members from industry, including chemical producers, fertilizer producers, oil and gas producers and refiners, mining, pulp & paper, utilities, and transportation.

MIACC's stakeholder, non-governmental approach succeeded in driving home the message to both communities and the various industrial groups about the importance of prevention, preparedness, and emergency response. As a result, Canada is seeing a reduction in the number and the impact of industrial accidents. However, just like regulated nations, this is just the beginning, and many experts acknowledge that there is still a long way to go.

At this critical time in the development of process safety programs, an odd turn of events has taken place. On Oct. 18, 1999 the members of MIACC voted to dissolve the organization due to a lack of funding. As the organization is in the process of selling and reallocating its real and intellectual properties, many companies wonder, "What is the future of process safety in Canada?"

Does this mean that regulation is the next step? Will Canada lose it unique claim to voluntary compliance? Not necessarily. The good news is that the programs that MIACC had initiated, such as Partnerships Toward Safer Communities, Process Safety Management, and The Ideal Emergency Response System (ER2000+), still have the momentum of the individuals driving these efforts. For example, the Process Safety Management committee, a joint committee with the Canadian Chemical Producers Association (CCPA), remains active, despite the dissolution of MIACC. This committee was responsible for developing tools to assist companies in assessing their own level of accomplishment toward good PSM practices, and continues to provide support for that project.

However, the Canadian House of Commons recently passed Bill C32, "An Act respecting pollution prevention and the protection of the environment and human health in order to contribute to sustainable development." This repeals and replaces the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1987. More importantly, and of interest to those organizations implementing PSM programs, Section 200 provides the ability to:

"make regulations
(a) establishing a list of substances that, if they enter the environment as a result of an environmental emergency,

(i) have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity,
(ii) constitute or may constitute a danger to the environment on which human life depends, or
(iii) constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health;

(b) prescribing, in respect of a substance on the list established under paragraph (a), a minimum quantity;
(c) respecting the identification of the places in Canada where a substance referred to in paragraph (a), in any quantity or in the quantity prescribed for that substance under paragraph (b), is located and requiring notification to the Minister of those places;
(d) respecting the prevention of, preparedness for, response to and recovery from an environmental emergency in respect of a substance;…"

Thus, even though process safety management regulations do not exist, the structure to provide regulations in the future does. But for better or worse, little has changed for the process safety management initiative in Canada at this point in time.

In the mean time, Canadian companies handling hazardous materials will continue to do as they have in the past: acknowledge the benefits of good process safety management, and practice the due diligence approach to improved safety.

If you have any questions about implementing process safety management programs in Canada, contact Leslie Parchomchuk, Manager of the Canadian Consulting Group at (604) 608-6168, or via email at lparchom@acutech-consulting.com.