14 / 56
14
Better Pork
June 2016
COVER
STORY
tum at the federal level,” he says.
In an April email, OMAFRA spokes-
person Bianca Jamieson confirmed staff
involvement in the national update.
They and Ministry of Municipal Affairs
and Housing staff “are engaged in this
process and will contribute technical
information to inform the review of
construction requirements for farm
buildings, including advancements in
modern farm practices and improved
safety performance,” she writes.
Teron says the federal decision to
begin the code’s update is unconnected
to Ontario’s recent spate of barn fires.
“This has been developing. I’ve sat
on some of the subcommittees as an
observer. Those reports were submitted
out nine months ago.”
Most other joint task group members
come from the commission’s specialized
technical subcommittees, which focus
on areas such as structure, fire and haz-
ardous materials. Teron and Gary van
Bolderen, a Farm Builders director and
owner of Dutch Masters Construction
Services in Barrie, are the only members
with barn-building experience. The
group needs more, Teron says, to foster
better understanding of the buildings’
unique characteristics. “One member
has already said, ‘well, why don’t we just
call them industrial buildings?’” he says.
Teron anticipates eventual changes
to other codes and standards that will
affect barn construction. They could
include new specifications for the use
of explosion-reduction outlets and
switches or ensuring the containment
of wiring in conduits. Kara Fraser, a
spokesperson with Ontario’s Electri-
cal Safety Authority, says there are no
new code requirements pertaining to
barns in the new Ontario electrical code,
which took effect May 5.
Ultimately, however, Teron, Adema
and most of those who have monitored
the barn fire question say maintenance
is the best solution to preventing fire.
“The vast majority of these fires start
from electrical,” says Teron. “The farm
is a harsh environment. There are
chemicals, moisture, dust so when an
outlet gets damaged, you can’t just go
and throw a 69-cent replacement off
the shelf from Canadian Tire. There are
higher standards that should apply.”
Practical options
Several efforts are now underway in
Ontario to help farmers target their
maintenance routines.
“OMAFRA is working with several
farm organizations to investigate practi-
cal options to monitor barns and reduce
the risk of fires,” writes Jamieson. She
says the ministry is also evaluating new
technologies. She did not offer specif-
ics on the projects and rejected a
Better
Pork
request to interview the ministry
staff involved.
Kelly says his organization is ex-
ploring the feasibility of using other
technologies. One possibility is training
an infrared heat sensor with an alarm
on equipment such as a fan. He notes
that the Ontario Federation of Agricul-
ture has also begun to work on barn fire
problems.
Farm and Food Care Ontario
wants funding to buy up to 10 infrared
cameras to loan to farmers so they can
inspect their barns on their own to find
hot spots and risks. The organization
already has two. The loans “will allow
people in the privacy of their own barns
to look at it, and also have a discussion
and a dialogue with the people who
work on the farm about this,” Kelly says.
As well, he wants to develop “a prag-
matic list” that farmers can “pull out at
staff meetings a couple of times a year
and just say, ‘what are our risks here?’
Things like using pressure washers in
the winter as opposed to leaf blowers to
clean down the ceilings of rooms.”
Six electrical safety tips for preventing fires in barns
• Hire only a licensed electri-
cal contractor: it’s the law in
Ontario. The contractor must
perform all electrical work in
compliance with the Ontario
Electrical Safety Code and take
out the necessary electrical
permits so that the work is
subject to Electrical Safety Au-
thority inspection. The authority
recommends hiring a licensed
electrical contractor to perform
an annual check of all electrical
equipment in a barn to ensure
that it is in good working order.
Pay particular attention to cord
caps, ceiling mounted outlets,
light fixtures and electrical pan-
els in areas with animals.
• Repair all damaged or malfunc-
tioning fixtures or equipment as
soon as possible. Any damaged
or malfunctioning equipment
should be replaced with equip-
ment suitable for a corrosive
environment.
• Regularly inspect for dam-
aged electrical wires. Rodents
are known to cause damage to
electrical wires in barns. Dam-
aged wires should be replaced
immediately.
• Install arc fault circuit interrupt-
ers (AFCIs). In barn structures
where the wiring is not visible,
installation of AFCIs can help to
prevent fires.
• Only install essential electrical
equipment in the confinement
area of a barn.
• Ensure the right conditions for
electrical equipment. Install
in locations separate from the
confinement area which are sup-
plied with clean, dry, tempera-
ture-controlled air.
Contributed by the Electrical Safety Authority