Fernie’s fatal ammonia leak linked to aging ice equipment

VANCOUVER — Old equipment that continued to be used seven years after a maintenance contractor recommended replacing it caused an ammonia leak that killed three workers at an ice rink in British Columbia last October, says an organization that oversees the safe operation of refrigeration systems in the province.

Jeff Coleman, director of risk and safety knowledge for Technical Safety BC, said Wednesday the City of Fernie scheduled funding to replace a chilller system in 2013, but it was deferred to 2014 and subsequently deleted from budget plans.

He said ammonia was used to chill liquid at the Fernie Memorial Arena and traces of the gas were found in the liquid as early as the summer of 2017, indicating a leak within the chiller, but the equipment was put back into operation on Oct. 16, the day before the colourless gas leak killed three men.

Coleman said corrosion along a seam in one tube of the chiller had caused a tiny hole, allowing pressurized ammonia to seep into the liquid, bursting the pipe and venting large amounts of the deadly gas.

“Once the leaking chiller returned to operation, additional actions and decisions associated with the shutdown configuration were a response to cascading failures beyond the scope of training and situational understanding of those involved,” he told a told news conference.

“While the equipment failures originated from a small hole in a chiller tube, Technical Safety BC concluded that the cause of the incident was the decision to operate the leaking chiller,” Coleman said.

Janice Lee, director of safety oversight for Technical Safety BC, said her organization took steps during its investigation to immediately improve safety.