A Victoria business is facing a hefty fine after failing to meet safety requirements.
In a media release, WorkSafeBC said they recently issued a penalty of over $61,470 to a Vancouver Island asbestos and mould removal remediation company for high-risk and repeated violations at a Victoria worksite.
Van Isle Hazmat Inc. will have to pay this fine, as well as tighten up workplace safety standards unless they want to face additional penalties.
According to WorkSafeBC, asbestos exposure is the number one killer of workers in BC and in 2022 alone, was responsible for at least 61 deaths. Those deaths represented approximately 33% of all work-related deaths that year.
WorkSafeBC says they inspected Van Isle Hazmat’s implicated worksite and had to issue a stop-work order after observing multiple deficiencies with the firm’s practices for handling asbestos-containing materials.
The company reportedly failed to prevent the spread of asbestos dust and debris and also failed to ensure its handling of asbestos was done in an acceptable fashion.
Additionally, Van Isle Hazmat also failed to provide its workers with appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety.
“These were all repeated and high-risk violations,” wrote a WorkSafeBC spokesperson.
WorkSafeBC added that precautions should have been taken to protect workers from work that would disturb asbestos containing materials and failed to safely remove hazardous materials before work began, which are both high-risk violations.
All materials containing asbestos and waste contaminated with asbestos should have been put into sealed and labelled containers, but were not.
WorkSafeBC says that the purpose of the fine being imposed on Van Isle Hazmat—and other asbestos abatement employers—is to motivate them to get their worksite practices in line with occupational health and safety legislation.
This is not the first time Van Isle Hazmat has faced fines from WorkSafeBC for similar infractions.
Since 2021, they have been fined five fines, ranging from $2,500 to over $61,470.
In total they have now been fined over $94,135.
