In a dangerous work environment like a cannabis extraction lab, communication is key.
“Talking about safety in general just keeps it on everyone’s mind. It's really big for us here. It’s easy to walk into somewhere where you’re doing the same thing every day and you kind of just don’t think about what you’re doing. If you don't have that communication, that's how mistakes are made,” Ivan Bolanos, the lab manager for Goldsmith Extracts told Rootwurks.
Bolanos said that the company has specific guidelines for who works on which machines at what time and holds regular safety meetings to ensure everyone knows the expectations.
“Depending on what machine you’re working on, each has a specific SOP (standard operating procedure) that covers safety. The SOP covers PPE (personal protective equipment), the danger points, and what to look out for. Those things are covered before you start.
Bolanos said on average 4 or 5 people are on shift. When the shift ends, they make sure that everyone communicates about the processes they are working on and any issues that need to be addressed.
“Communication is huge,” Bolanos said.
Founded in 2016, Goldsmith Extracts produces cannabis extracts for the Arizona and New Mexico markets. Their product catalog includes disposable distillate vapes, infused pre-rolls, distillate cartridges, and live resin syringes, among other offerings.
Rootwurks spoke to Goldsmith Extracts a couple of weeks before an explosion at a cannabis extraction facility in Maryland last Thursday injured two employees, one seriously, and caused over $250,000 in damage.
According to the State Fire Marshal, investigators who arrived at the PharmaCann facility on Log Canoe Circle in Stevensville found two injured employees including one with severe but non-life-threatening injuries. The fire was contained by sprinklers before more people could be harmed or more damage caused.
Investigators said the explosion happened in an extraction booth where propane and butane are used.
While the cause of the explosion is still under investigation, the incident illustrates the potential dangers cannabis extraction facilities face.
In 2017, the Colorado Department of Marijuana published a guide that stated that “extraction using butane is the most cost-effective yet the most dangerous method of extraction used.”
That same year, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Organization wrote “because butane and propane readily evaporate and are highly flammable, they must be managed carefully to minimize the risk of a fire or explosion – particularly when they are loaded, unloaded, and stored. It is essential to identify any potential ignition hazards before extraction begins.”
One of the owners of Goldsmith Extracts, Cameron Haghgoo, said that for the company, safety education “begins with comprehensive onboarding for all employees, covering equipment operation, emergency response protocols, and regulatory compliance.”
He added that “regular training sessions, safety drills, and updates on industry best practices are part of our culture. We also encourage open communication and regular feedback to ensure our team remains vigilant and informed.”
To learn more about the risks faced by cannabis workers and how to mitigate them, visit our online store, where we feature dozens of safety courses that address the risks faced by cannabis employees and their workplaces. All of these courses were designed to help employees learn the steps necessary to build a safety culture in the workplace.