P.E.I. business fined for asbestos removal work
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. siding firm has been ordered to pay $25,000 for violations underneath the Occupational Well being and Security Act involving asbestos removing.
William John Doyle, 66, proprietor of Willie Doyle Vinyl Siding, pleaded responsible and was sentenced on March 24 in provincial court docket in Charlottetown to 2 costs underneath the act. The 2 costs have been that the enterprise failed to make sure workers had correct asbestos coaching and failed to make sure that staff weren’t uncovered to occupational well being and security hazards.
Studying from an agreed assertion of details, Crown legal professional John Diamond advised the court docket that on June 23, Occupational Well being and Security (OHS) obtained a grievance from the general public that staff have been eradicating exterior siding that contained asbestos from a residential property in Charlottetown with out sporting private protecting gear.
An OHS officer went to the property on Kensington Highway and noticed two staff on scaffolding eradicating siding that contained asbestos and one other employee sweeping particles within the driveway. None of these staff have been sporting protecting gear required when dealing with asbestos, mentioned Diamond.
The OHS officer put a stop-work order in place as a result of the enterprise did not submit an asbestos notification allow previous to beginning the renovation work. On account of the go to from the OHS officer, the allow was filed that day and the order was lifted. In whole, 4 untrained staff have been uncovered, and staff who weren’t educated in dealing with asbestos have been required to depart the job web site.
Different facets of the incident included not having asbestos warning indicators visibly posted, staff not wetting asbestos supplies throughout removing or clean-up and containers not being adequately labelled. The enterprise additionally didn’t have an annual medical surveillance program as required by the act.
On July 21, the OHS revoked Willie Doyle Vinyl Siding’s asbestos contractor certificates.
Diamond famous that asbestos removing isn’t a big a part of the enterprise’s actions. He added that Doyle took steps to treatment the state of affairs that day, and the enterprise didn’t have a previous file for violations underneath the act.
Chief Decide Jeff Lantz accepted a joint advice from Diamond and defence lawyer Maggie Grimmer and sentenced the enterprise to a complete of $5,000 in fines (or $2,500 every for 2 offences underneath the OHS act) and a $20,000 penalty. The $20,000 penalty is payable to the province’s Employees Compensation Board for education schemes associated to working safely with asbestos.
Lantz gave Doyle one 12 months to pay the fines and the penalty.
Terrence McEachern is a justice reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island.
