A trend to finer wood dust - resulting from dryer beetle killed wood and finer-kerf saw blades - may have contributed to fires and explosions in British Columbia wood factories. A 2012 internal memo from WorkSafeBC, released through a Freedom of Information request by a union, also predicted resistance to wood dust control rules "if an enforcement strategy is pursued at this time."

Hampton Affiliates, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation (BLNDC), Burns Lake, B.C., responded today to the WorkSafe BC announcement that they have completed their investigation on the cause of the explosions at Babine Forest Products Limited (Babine), Burns Lake, and Lakeland Mills Ltd., Prince George.

Hampton Affiliates is rebuilding the British Columbia sawmill destroyed by fire in January.

Combustible sawdust, found in every woodworking plant, turned up at unacceptable levels in 48 of 83 Canadian wood and forest products plants inspected this summer, some owned by U.S. companies. States Industries, idX and Haworth also topped the news.