by Christopher Nielsen, B.Sc., P. Geo. (Limited), Vice President T. Harris Environmental Management Inc.

For much of the 20^th century, vermiculite from the Libby Mine in Montana was widely used in insulation products throughout Canada.

Marketed under the trade name Zonolite, the product was processed in plants in Alberta and elsewhere and used as insulation in walls and ceilings – even potting soil. However, concerns surfaced that vermiculite from Libby was contaminated with asbestos, a carcinogen.

The Libby Mine, which began production in 1920, closed in 1990. But it is likely that some of its product continued to work its way through the distribution system in Canada and elsewhere for some time afterwards. If there is vermiculite in a building constructed between 1920 and the early 1990s, there is a fair chance that it came from the Libby Mine.

It is important to note that not all vermiculite contains asbestos. It depends on where the ore is mined. But the lack of records indicating where Zonolite from the Libby Mine was used has implications for anyone involved in demolition or renovation. This includes employees doing the work, but also anyone who may be in the building at the time.

The Zonolite issue is just one of the contamination issues facing the construction industry when doing renovation and demolition. Other hazards are lead from paint and other coatings, mercury from thermostats and fluorescent light bulbs, radioactive materials used in smoke detectors, PCBs in light ballasts and transformers and silica in numerous construction materials including concrete.

In most Canadian provinces, health and safety regulations make employers responsible for providing a healthy and safe workplace, and this includes protecting them from airborne hazards such as asbestos fibres. Provisions in the Criminal Code of Canada can make employers’ failure to do this a criminal offence.

Employees have the right to refuse work that they consider dangerous, and need to be assured that workplace hazards have been dealt with adequately. Failure to do so may result in work stoppages and delays. Such situations may have significant negative impacts for foremen, supervisors, management, company owners, and directors who are shown to have failed to provide a safe work environment.

On the other hand, employers find that providing a safe work environment, and being seen to do so, goes a long way to helping employee recruitment and retention – particularly relevant given the tight competitive labour market.

One of the best ways employers in the construction industry can satisfy regulators, organized-labour representatives, and other stakeholders is through demonstrating due diligence – showing that they have done all that can be reasonably expected to protect employees.

A good Hazardous Building Materials Survey can be a big part of this. Going beyond the regulatory minimum, a Hazardous Building Materials Survey can reassure employees that any hazards have been identified and either have been or will be dealt with effectively.

Providing the right skills is one of the first lines of defence when it comes to work sites with hazardous materials. For example, it’s not uncommon to find that even seasoned construction industry members are surprised at the sheer range of products that contain asbestos. As well as ceiling tiles and asbestos cement, asbestos is routinely found in over 3,000 products and construction materials that can range from drywall filler to floor-levelling compound. Essentially, everyone who may come in contact with asbestos is required to have, at minimum, basic asbestos awareness training.

In most cases, the appropriate asbestos remediation procedures involve wetting down the work area and using appropriate personal protection equipment (including respiratory protection). But this may not be possible in some environments, such as electrical rooms where high-voltage equipment can’t be isolated and hospitals, where there may be concern that the water could lead to growth in mould. This may mean a need for more elaborate respiratory protection and negative pressure contained work areas.

One of the challenges of complying with provincial hazardous-materials legislation is that there are few hard-and-fast rules regarding who is qualified to do the necessary assessments.

This means that anyone remodeling or renewing a building must use judgement in finding the right service provider. It helps to choose a consulting firm that has demonstrated longevity, for greater credibility. This is particularly important in making sure that employees, who are working in buildings where hazardous-materials management procedures are taking place, can feel secure and safe about their work environment.

It should come as no surprise that employees and organized labour representatives are becoming increasingly interested in issues about hazardous materials such as asbestos. They are also better informed, although that information may come from questionable sources and be of questionable accuracy. Having support from a sound third-party source, with good expertise and credibility, can go a long way to keeping employees satisfied that their health is safeguarded.

It also helps to find a company with local experience, which is important partly because products very widely regarding whether they contain asbestos, or how much. Products sold in one area may contain asbestos, while similar products sold elsewhere may not. The only way to be certain is to have it analyzed for asbestos content. Also, provincial regulations vary with the threshold for considering a material to be asbestos-containing set from 0.1 percent to 1 percent.

A service provider must be able to provide credible laboratory tests that meet regulatory requirements. In many cases, this work is outsourced to an independent testing laboratory. But the company should check that it is appropriately accredited. Complying with hazardous materials regulations is, in general, best done through becoming informed about the issues, due diligence regarding training and procedures, and commissioning the appropriate expert assistance.

Christopher Nielsen, B.Sc., P. Geo. (Limited), Vice President T. Harris Environmental Management Inc. Christopher has over 30 plus years in the environmental management sector.

www.tharris.ca

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