Manitoba tightens asbestos rules

The Manitoba government is introducing tougher asbestos safety rules aimed at reducing worker exposure to the cancer‑causing material, which it describes as the leading cause of occupational death in the province.

For occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals, the changes signal a higher regulatory benchmark for asbestos control programs, training standards and employer due diligence across construction, maintenance, demolition and building management.

The new rules will:

• ensure anyone performing asbestos work has proper training and certification;
• require employers that carry out asbestos work to register so Manitobans can easily see who is qualified;
• set clearer responsibilities for employers and building owners; and
• give safety officers additional tools to verify asbestos work is being done safely.

‘Safety is our top priority’

Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino announced the regulatory changes, saying they respond to calls from Manitobans for clearer requirements around asbestos‑related work.

“The safety of Manitobans is always our top priority, and they told us they wanted clearer rules and stronger protections for asbestos work – we listened,” Marcelino said in a government statement. “These updates will help keep workers safe by ensuring asbestos work is done by trained, certified professionals and with clear responsibilities for employers and building owners.”

Asbestos is commonly found in older building materials and becomes hazardous when disturbed and released into the air, according to the provincial government. Manitoba’s current regulations set basic requirements for training, inventories and safety measures, but the new amendments are intended to clarify responsibilities, improve training and strengthen enforcement.

‘A life-and-death issue’

Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL), said the move addresses a critical risk for workers whose jobs bring them into contact with asbestos.

“Having stronger protection against asbestos is literally a life-and-death issue for the Manitobans whose work brings them into contact with it,” Rebeck said. “Asbestos is Manitoba’s number one occupational killer and far too many lives have been cut short by this dangerous substance. Thank you to the Manitoba government for taking action to make workplaces safer for the workers who help to build our province.”

The province said workers, employers and safety experts provided input on the changes through the Workplace Safety and Health Review Committee, which reached consensus that the existing rules needed to be clearer and stronger. 

“Asbestos safety is critically important in Manitoba,” said Dave Kramer, vice‑president, SAFE Work Manitoba, a division of the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba. “We support the province by ensuring workers and employers have access to high-quality training opportunities, including those offered through the SAFE Work Manitoba Training Portal. Courses and training that meet an established Manitoba training standard are SAFE Work endorsed, giving workers and employers confidence that training is credible and consistent.”

According to the MFL, diseases caused by exposure to asbestos remain Manitoba’s number one occupational killer. An average of six Manitobans die every year as a result of diseases they have because of exposure to asbestos at work, it said.

“Shockingly, even with all that we know about the dangers of asbestos, Manitoba has long had woefully inadequate rules to protect workers who do asbestos removal and remediation. For example, while there was a general requirement in the Workplace Safety and Health Regulation for employers to ensure that those working with asbestos be trained, there were absolutely no mandatory requirements for what that training should include and who is qualified to deliver it,” noted the MFL.

“Well, those days are over.”

Here are the potential health effects of asbestos, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS):