A propane leak is at the origin of the Center de valorisation de l’aliment (CVA) explosion in Sherbrooke last year that injured five people, CNESST concluded in its report released on Wednesday.
The building housed a dozen food businesses that shared certain common spaces, including a canteen kitchen. The epicenter of the blast was there, according to investigators from the Commission on Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST). The furnace was identified as the ignition source.
Three causes were given to explain the accident. First, a valve on a propane line was leaking, causing the propane leak.
“After the retreat [d’une cuisinière en 2020], the pipe was not sealed. A witness also came to tell us. […] Also, that’s how we found it in the rubble,” explained Inspector Christian Roy.
“The assembly and disassembly as well as the control of the propane-powered kitchen appliances are inadequate,” says the written report.
Among the other shortcomings identified, CNESST notes that employees were not adequately informed about the risks associated with propane gas. There was also no propane gas detector in the building. However, these are not mandatory. It is up to the Régie du Bâtiment to decide whether or not this should be the case.
“Would installing a propane detector be a solution? We believe so,” said Christian Roy.
In particular, to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, CNESST recommends educating workers on the risks associated with the use of such equipment and ensuring that they are operated, removed, and inspected by qualified personnel.
The CNESST will submit its report to the Régie du Bâtiment and various associations. Without disclosing the exact amount, a criminal complaint of between $18,000 and $72,000 was presented to the CVA’s employer. He declined TVA Nouvelles’ request for an interview, preferring to read the report before commenting.