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Warning issued about safety of shipping containers

WorkSafeBC is warning of the unseen risks workers and the general public can face when reusing shipping containers for workplace or residential storage.

WorkSafeBC is warning of the unseen risks workers and the general public can face when reusing shipping containers for workplace or residential storage.

The safety agency has released new video and safety bulletin reminding people that the containers are designed to be watertight, which means they have little or no ventilation.

Dan Strand is the director of prevention field services at WorkSafeBC and says vapours or gases from flammable or combustible substances, when combined with an ignition source in one of the containers, can produce a catastrophic incident.

Other risks highlighted by WorkSafeBC include floorboards that might have been treated with toxic chemicals to protect cargo during shipping, or chemicals that could have spilled in transit.