Homeowners need to think about asbestos
Other than provincial politics, nothing drives me crazy as much as those house-flipping shows on television. You know what I mean. Some guy or gal gutting a house, whipping it back together in record time, often with questionable methods and results, then selling it for a tidy profit.
With complete disregard for workplace safety, demolition crews rip out ceilings, walls, floors and pipes. Hard hats, goggles, workboots and respirators are nowhere in sight. Airborne particles abound.
What those flippers don’t reveal is that their workers could be exposing themselves to asbestos, a strong, fire-resistant mineral fibre used in all sorts of building materials until the 1980s. The list includes stippled ceilings and walls, siding, insulation, flooring, drywall and duct insulation.
If the materials are in good condition and left undisturbed, the risk to health is low. However, if the materials deteriorate or are disturbed, inhaling fine asbestos fibres might cause serious health problems.
In B.C., asbestos-related diseases have increased 69 per cent since 2002, by far the most in Canada. Deaths from malignant mesothelioma are on the rise as well, a grim legacy from past decades.
This year, homeowners in B.C. will spend $7.8 billion on home renovation, improvement and repair, including $4.4 billion in the Metro Vancouver area. Before they commence the renovation, it is crucial that homeowners have qualified workers identify, remove and dispose of asbestos-containing materials.
The cost of an approved asbestos-removal program varies, but what price are you willing to place on safeguarding your family’s health? And if you follow approved procedures, you have absolutely nothing to fret about afterwards. Remediation work is done daily with superior, worry-free results.
I believe at least 30 per cent of the $7.8 billion spent on home renovation is done for cash, under the oversight radar — with no contracts, permits, inspections, tax remittance or WorkSafeBC compliance.
Here’s the thing. I am all for compliance with health and safety regulations, especially when it comes to families, but I am concerned that fly-by-night contractors, by cutting corners to save time and money, will expose themselves and their unsuspecting clients to the risks of asbestos. Or do-it-yourselfers will, taking their cue from uninformed house flippers, have at it with a sledgehammer.
Miscreants, in the dead of night, dump garbage on parking lots, little-used streets, even farmland, to avoid disposal costs at legal waste-transfer stations or landfill sites. For example, illegally dumped trash cost Surrey taxpayers more than $800,000 last year. That figure might be low going forward.
Earlier this month, a Surrey contractor was fined $15,000 for dumping asbestos-laced drywall at a recycling plant. He might or might not have known his drywall contained asbestos. I don’t know, and it’s no excuse, but the fact he took it to a recycling plant points to the likelihood he wasn’t aware.
But I bet there will be some who look at that judgment and, spooked, dump their loads illegally.
It behooves lawmakers to find ways to make disposal of contaminated material easier and less costly.
At my request, WorkSafeBC officials will meet with renovation contractor members of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association to discuss the issue of asbestos assessment, abatement and disposal, and find ways to ferret out the scofflaws who operate underground in the Lower Mainland.
The bottom line is homeowners should include in their renovation planning an asbestos assessment. If you think it won’t hurt to take a chance, give your head a shake and think again. After exposure, symptoms might take decades to surface. Then, count on spending some time with a lung specialist.
Visit www.worksafebc.ca to learn more about asbestos and other job-site issues. Safety first, always.