On January 22, 2018 ArcelorMittal Dofasco was convicted of an offence under the Province of Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act and will pay a fine of $162,500 for the incident that occurred on February 9, 2015.

The air emission incident related to the company’s Ironmaking operations, in which coke, iron ore pellets and limestone are used to produce liquid iron. The incident was documented and reported by the company at the time, with an investigation launched to determine any community impact.

The cause of the “Blast Furnace Bleeder Pop” was an unplanned build-up of pressure within No.4 Blast Furnace. As a result of the build-up of pressure, safety bleeder valves on the furnace were automatically opened to relieve the pressure and discharged coke and iron particulate with rust materials and blast furnace gas. The company regrets that this event caused community impact and the company is committed to operating effectively and responsibly.

The company conducted a thorough investigation of the operating circumstances and practices in regards to this event, and for any events that may cause off site impact. The practices are continually being reviewed and updated with operations, maintenance and technology teams working hand in hand to ensure best practices with an eye to predictive actions to avoid triggering the safety valves.

ArcelorMittal Dofasco is committed to continuous improvement in every aspect of the operations. Our company has, and will continue to, demonstrate our commitment to:
• A focus on continuous improvement in all aspects of the business;
• Ensuring we both plan and react appropriately and responsibly where there may be environmental or community impact from operations;
• Continue to be a positive contributor to the region and a responsible member of the Hamilton community.

This will be reviewed at the CLC meeting on Thursday January 25th.