Construction company violated stop-work order in Maillardville; provided false information to inspector

A Surrey-based construction company has been hit with a $10,000 fine after conducting unsafe asbestos removal and defying a stop-work order, according to a WorkSafe B.C. report.

In November 2023, workers were doing pre-demolition asbestos abatement on a single-family home on Laval Street near École Maillard Middle School. The Surrey-based numbered company was charged with removing asbestos from the house, including drywall and vinyl kitchen flooring.

Besides the lack of any asbestos warning tape or containment, the garage door was also ajar despite “asbestos disturbance” inside, according to the WorkSafe B.C. report.

After putting on protective equipment, an inspector went into the garage and saw drywall debris had been “ground into the concrete,” according to the report.

No sheeting had been put on work surfaces “to prevent cross-contamination,” the report stated, noting the presence of fibreglass insulation.

Looking into the house through a window, the inspector and saw: “drywall disturbance, contaminated insulation and nails in studs throughout.”

There were no signs alerting workers to the hazards present or the precautions required when asbestos work is underway.

The employer had also downgraded the risk from high to moderate concerning 140 square feet of vinyl sheet flooring that needed to be removed with power tools.

WorkSafe determined there were: “reasonable grounds to believe there is a high risk of serious injury, serious illness or death to a worker” at the site.

About one week after WorkSafe B.C. issued the stop-work order, an inspector returned to the house and heard a gas generator running. The generator’s cord led into the: “asbestos contaminated garage.”

There were three workers doing demolition inside the building while a fourth waited outside.

“Workers exited the building covered in white dust,” according to the report.

The company didn’t ensure workers wore protective equipment and respirators.

While details are redacted, “false information” was given during the inspection, according to the report.

Between 2000 and 2020, asbestos-related diseases were the leading cause of workplace deaths in B.C., accounting for approximately one-third of “traumatic workplace fatalities,” according to the Union of B.C. Municipalities.