How common are chemical spills involving trucks?
Two major crashes in Ontario and Quebec Tuesday caused hazardous chemical spills. The trucking industry says incidents like this are rare, but critics warn they’re still cause for concern.

Thestar.com
By SAMMY HUDES
March 15, 2017

Two hazardous chemical spills Tuesday caused by pile-ups on major highways in Ontario and Quebec are being described as rarities by transportation industry representatives.

A 30-vehicle crash on Hwy. 401 east of Kingston left one person dead and 27 others in hospital after fluorosilicic acid being transported by one of the trucks spilled from the vehicle.

Some people were treated at a decontamination bay after being exposed to the hazardous material, which is commonly used in water fluoridation, and can cause irritation to the nose, throat and respiratory system, swelling of the skin and severe eye irritation.

Spills are unusual when trucks are carrying dangerous materials, according to Stephen Laskowski, president of the Ontario Trucking Association.

He said there are about 2,200 products classified as “dangerous” under federal transportation regulations, ranging from household goods such as soap or paint to more dangerous chemicals such as those spilled on Tuesday around 2 p.m. on Hwy. 401.

For every 10,000 shipments by Ontario truck companies, there are about 20 spills, according to numbers provided by Laskowski.

“So it is very few incidents,” Laskowski said. “When you’re dealing with such a low percentage, I think the statistics bear out that the system is working very well. There are all kinds of rules and regulations in place for how commodities are handled and shipped.”

In Quebec, two people were taken to hospital with serious injuries after a crash involving about a dozen vehicles on Hwy. 20, near the community of Saint-Zotique.

The pile-up caused a tanker-truck to spill about 20,000 litres of sodium hypochlorite, a toxic, concentrated substance similar to bleach. The substance was contained in the highway median and was easily recovered, emergency officials said.

Anyone importing, handling or transporting dangerous goods must comply with the federal Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act and the Dangerous Goods Transportation Act in Ontario.

The federal act “requires dangerous goods to be properly classified and transported” to Transport Canada’s approved standard, according to Natasha Gauthier, a spokesperson for the department.

“Additional requirements include proper documentation, safety marks, reporting, and training,” she said in an email.

But even if the statistics Laskowski provided are taken at face value, Brian Patterson, president and CEO of the Ontario Safety League, said they are still cause for concern.

“It’s not an issue of stats in my view but an issue of driver training and competency,” Patterson said. “The fact of the matter is you and I are paying for the spills. It’s all part of the insured cleanup. Is 20 (collisions in 10,000 shipments) an acceptable number? I don’t think it is at all.

“The other people that were within range of that incident, it’s the same scenario. Are they prepared for that? The answer is no.”

Patterson said he worries many drivers have little or no understanding of the hazardous materials they’re carrying.

Drivers, carriers, shippers and manufacturers must be retrained every three years, according to Laskowski. He described the rules as “living regulations,” continually updated as new products, techniques and standards are introduced.

Each category of dangerous goods has its own rules related for being securely loaded and handled in transit to prevent danger to the public.

“Everything is planned out to the finest detail,” Laskowski said. “In this case, when people are exposed to it, they are immediately brought to the hospital.”

The regulations also require those transporting certain dangerous goods, such as explosives, flammable substances, toxic gases or radioactive and nuclear substances, to carry an Emergency Response Action Plan which has been approved by the federal government.

The plan, visible on the side of a truck, outlines what dangerous goods are on board and how to ensure public safety if they’re released during transporting.

“That assists emergency responders, because the trucker could be injured in the accident, or non-communicative when the emergency responders arrive on the scene and they need to know what kind of a toxic or corrosive substance it is that they’re carrying,” said James Tomlinson, an insurance lawyer with experience in cases involving highway spills.

Neither chemical spilled Tuesday in Ontario nor Quebec required such a plan, said Gauthier.

Tomlinson said the regulations do a good job of preventing chemical spills from harming other drivers when they do happen, but sometimes exposure can be unavoidable.

“I think there’s a tendency on, maybe, to think somebody obviously was negligent, because these things were not properly stored or that kind of thing,” he said. “Accidents do happen despite the regulations. There can be situations where all proper procedures are followed and still a problem occurs.”