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construction safety gear
June 5, 2020

Montreal construction workers scramble to find proper safety gear

When Mitchell Rose and his crew demolish old walls or floors made with asbestos, the blows of their hammers release fibres into the air. If inhaled, the fibres travel deep into the lungs, possibly causing permanent or even deadly scarring.

They wear masks that filter out the harmful particles. But the masks, labeled as P100s, require filter cartridges, Rose says, and those are nowhere to be found.

“They don’t exist anymore,” says Rose, president and owner of Quebec Demo, a Montreal-based demolition company. “I’m scrambling. I have some stock that I’m being very careful with. We’re trying to reuse the (filters), vacuum them out so they can have a second life but, in general, there’s nothing on the shelves.”

Demand for masks, visors and other protective gear has skyrocketed because of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a lack of gear for some in the construction industry just as business is roaring back.

The construction business is not the only one feeling the pinch, but in the industry a lack of protective gear can leave workers vulnerable to workplace hazards, not just the coronavirus. It can also lead to the shutdown of a worksite by provincial inspectors.

Since April 20, when some construction sites resumed work in Quebec, provincial inspectors have closed 19 sites because they lacked the proper COVID-19 prevention protocols. Most of the time, a CNESST spokesperson said, the sites reopened quickly because supervisors were able to “put in place the necessary measures.”

Most sites, however, are in compliance. But managers are scrambling to find enough masks, visors and hand sanitizer to supply their workers. Almost all of the local companies and contractors contacted by the Montreal Gazette said they lacked personal protective gear or were having a hard time getting it.

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