Cannabis Factories - Risks & Mitigation

Overview

With the recent legalization of consumer cannabis products that are manufactured using hazardous solvent extraction technology, there is a need for designers, Authorities Having Jurisdiction, and owners to understand the design restrictions and options available under the National Fire Code of Canada (NFC). While the NFC is not the only governing regulation for cannabis extraction processes, it is one element that, if not considered in the early stages of the facility design, can slow down or halt the permit and licence approvals for a project. As an appetite for exploring cannabis extraction products grows in the industry, it’s important to consider how the scale of production, process flow, equipment, extraction solvent, and existing or new building infrastructure are regulated under the NFC. This presentation outlines design pathways in the NFC that address hazardous extraction activities, depending on the types of solvents present and the scale of processing proposed. The presentation will also outline a case study to illustrate the different compliance approaches introduced.

Speaker Bio

Melinda Amador, P. Eng., M.A.Sc., is a Project Engineer at CodeNext Inc., based in Toronto, Ontario. Melinda has 15 years of experience in the practice of fire protection and life safety consulting for Building and Fire Code compliance. Melinda’s industrial project experience includes the development of compliance solutions for dangerous goods hazards in laboratories, cannabis extraction, pharmaceutical, specialty beverage, and bulk distribution and warehousing applications. For the past 3 years, Melinda has been engaged in the development of technical guides relating to cannabis safety with ULC and with ISO. Melinda is the current Chair of the new standard, NFPA 420, “Standard on Fire Protection of Cannabis Growing and Processing Facilities”.