B.C. getting tough on asbestos risk

January 21, 2022



British Columbia is increasing regulations for asbestos work, including the registration of contractors.
The new safety requirements would apply to contractors, employers and workers who undertake asbestos abatement work.
The proposed changes would require asbestos abatement contractors to be licensed by WorkSafeBC to operate in the province. Employers, workers and contractors who perform asbestos abatement work would have to be certified through a mandatory safety training process authorized by WorkSafeBC.
“The proposed amendments would help strengthen the existing regulatory requirements for asbestos abatement work,” said the province in a press release. “All contractors in good standing would be listed on a publicly accessible registry so that building owners can ensure they are hiring a qualified company with trained workers.”
The proposed amendments would also strengthen WorkSafeBC’s enforcement tools and grant the authority to deny, cancel or suspend licences of non-compliant contractors.
The province’s insulator workers and unions have spent years urging the province to take action on asbestos risks.
“It’s certainly something we have been advocating for some time,” said Neil Munro, BC Insulators Local 118 business manager. “It’s long past due and the fact that the government is seeking public feedback is an important step in the right direction.”
According to a 2018 report, from 2008 to there were 617 worker deaths in B.C. related to asbestos exposures, with the majority of those workers dying before the age of 65. Seventy died in 2017, the last year full stats are available.