RICHMOND, B.C. – WorkSafeBC has launched an awareness campaign targeted to home property owners who are considering or undertaking renovations or demolitions regarding the dangers of asbestos in homes built before 1990.
The campaign runs until early 2017 across a broad spectrum of media including radio, television, print and social media.
This awareness campaign follows the results of recent research undertaken by WorkSafeBC of more than 800 adult British Columbians. The research confirms there is some public awareness of what asbestos is and where it may be located in a single-family home, condominium or townhouse built before 1990; however, the research also shows there are significant gaps in that knowledge that could put workers or others at risk of exposure when undertaking a renovation or demolition.
Highlights of WorkSafeBC’s research findings are:
Only half of those surveyed (51 per cent) believe homeowners are responsible for making sure testing for asbestos is conducted before undertaking renovations;
just over one-third (36 per cent) of those who have renovated a home built before 1990 in the past five years recall testing for the presence of asbestos prior to renovations;
one-third (32 per cent) of those surveyed did not know they should look for asbestos before doing small home renovations in a home built before 1990; and
nine per cent of those surveyed think that asbestos-causing disease is the number one occupational killer in B.C.
"Asbestos kills," says Al Johnson, WorkSafeBC’s vice-president of prevention services, in a statement. "The relatively low level of awareness by homeowners regarding the dangers posed by asbestos means workers and even family members can potentially be put at risk. Renovations and demolitions of older properties continue at a very high rate and homeowners need to be informed about the dangerous nature of asbestos and how to protect workers and themselves."
From 2006 to 2015, 584 B.C. workers died from diseases related to asbestos exposure.
In homes built before 1990, asbestos can potentially be found in more than 3,000 building materials such as linoleum, wall board and filling compound, textured ceilings, vermiculite insulation, pipe insulation, in furnaces or wiring, as well as many other places. Asbestos can be released into the air when these building materials are drilled, sawed, sanded or broken up during a renovation or demolition.
In such cases, workers can breathe in asbestos fibres if they are not protected. If workers breathe in enough asbestos, their lungs can be permanently damaged and they can get lung cancer. There is a long latency period (10 to 40 years on average) between the time(s) a worker breathes in asbestos fibres and when a disease can develop.
In addition to the public campaign, WorkSafeBC will be doing increased work in 2017 with contractors to help them more fully understand their roles in keeping workers and others safe from asbestos.
WorkSafeBC has resources on this topic at ThinkAsbestos.com, HiddenKiller.ca or on its website at WorkSafeBC.com.
The campaign comes after the federal government released a list of public buildings containing asbestos.
The National Asbestos Inventory, completed by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), lists all buildings owned or leased by PSPC, identifies the name and address of the buildings and indicates whether or not they contain asbestos. There are over 2,180 properties on the list. Of those, 716 are identified as having a known presence of asbestos. This includes parts of the Vancouver International Airport, a post office in Brooks, Alta., the Winnipeg Taxation Centre and more.
Other government departments that own or lease buildings are expected to publish their own inventories within the next 12 months.
All buildings owned or leased by PSPC that contain asbestos are required to have an asbestos management plan. If asbestos has recently been discovered, an asbestos management plan may not yet be in place. PSPC stated it is working with landlords to ensure asbestos management plans are developed for the few leased buildings that do not yet have them. They anticipate that the work should be completed within the coming months.
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