When home or commercial property owners in British Columbia conduct renovations or demolition on a structure that may contact asbestos, they need to bring in a qualified person to safely handle asbestos removal.
According to the Regulation, qualified means:
“a person who (a) has knowledge of the management and control of asbestos hazards through education and training, and (b) has experience in the management and control of asbestos hazards.”
When asbestos-containing materials may be present, a qualified person should be an occupational health and safety professional with occupational hygiene experience related to asbestos.
These persons would include the following:
-
Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Registered Occupational
Hygienist (ROH), or Registered Occupational Hygiene Technologist
(ROHT) with education and experience specific to asbestos
management and work procedures
-
Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Canadian Registered Safety
Professional (CRSP), or Professional Engineer with education and
experience specific to asbestos management and work procedures
-
An experienced asbestos abatement contractor with education and
experience specific to asbestos management and work procedures
-
An AHERA (U.S. Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) Certified
inspector (for asbestos building surveys only)
The following activities must be conducted by a qualified person:
-
Preparation of asbestos inventories or surveys
-
Risk assessments and work classifications (e.g., low, moderate, or high
risk)
-
Preparation of work procedures for the safe removal of asbestos waste
-
Collection of samples of materials suspected of containing asbestos
-
In addition, only a qualified person should:
-
Collect air samples to determine the concentration of asbestos fibres in
the air
-
Perform regular worksite inspections for high-risk work
-
Perform post-abatement clearance inspections
