Asbestos abatement firm fined $80,000

Negative air pressure was not maintained, several breaches found in containment

Honghot Enterprises of Surrey, B.C. has been fined $80,000 by WorkSafeBC.

 

This firm was conducting asbestos abatement at a house. WorkSafeBC inspected the site and determined that negative air pressure was not being maintained at the decontamination unit. There were also several breaches in the containment, including holes in the exterior walls, soffit venting and around several windows.

 

In addition, none of the four workers observed exiting the building followed proper decontamination procedures, and two of the workers were wearing street clothes underneath their coveralls. WorkSafeBC issued a stop-work order.

 

The firm is being penalized for allowing work that disturbed asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) before taking the necessary precautions to protect workers. This was a repeated and high-risk violation. 

 

 

Source: WorkSafeBC