Blog Post #1557 – Asbestos Find Closes School

Excerpt from the OH&S Canada magazine (December 2016)

A primary school was evacuated and closed temporarily following the discovery of asbestos in the building on November 10, 2016.

A statement from the local school board, la Commission Scolaire des Portages-de-l’Outaouais (SCPO), says the management and staff of ‘’Ecole primaire Saint-Paul directed everyone inside the school to move to the nearby Eugéne-Sauvageau community centre immediately after the discovery. Quebec’s oh&s authority. La Commission des norms, de l’equité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail, ordered the school to have the asbestos encapsulated. A firm conducted air-quality tests inside the school during its closure.

“The safety of children and our staff is very important,” CSPO general director Jean-Claude Bouchard says. “In this situation, it is important for the school board to hear the concerns of our staff and parents, and that is why we have reacted promptly.”

My opinion

Asbestos is a designated substance. A “Designated Substance” is a substance that is dangerous enough that it has to be monitored closely and any possible contamination requires air-monitoring protocols.

In Ontario, we use 278/05 when dealing with potential exposure.

First of all, we need to determine if the contamination falls under a type 1, type 2 or type 3.

“The following are Type 1 operations:

1. Installing or removing ceiling tiles that are asbestos-containing material, if the tiles cover an area less than 7.5 square metres and are installed or removed without being broken, cut, drilled, abraded, ground, sanded or vibrated.
2. Installing or removing non-friable asbestos-containing material, other than ceiling tiles, if the material is installed or removed without being broken, cut, drilled, abraded, ground, sanded or vibrated.
3. Breaking, cutting, drilling, abrading, grinding, sanding or vibrating non-friable asbestos-containing material if,
4. the material is wetted to control the spread of dust or fibres, and
5. the work is done only by means of non-powered hand-held tools.
6. Removing less than one square metre of drywall in which joint-filling compounds that are asbestos-containing material have been used.”

“The following are Type 2 operations:

1. Removing all or part of a false ceiling to obtain access to a work area, if asbestos-containing material is likely to be lying on the surface of the false ceiling.
2. The removal or disturbance of one square metre or less of friable asbestos-containing material during the repair, alteration, maintenance or demolition of all or part of machinery or equipment or a building, aircraft, locomotive, railway car, vehicle or ship.
3. Enclosing friable asbestos-containing material.
4. Applying tape or a sealant or other covering to pipe or boiler insulation that is asbestos-containing material.
5. Installing or removing ceiling tiles that are asbestos-containing material, if the tiles cover an area of 7.5 square metres or more and are installed or removed without being broken, cut, drilled, abraded, ground, sanded or vibrated.
6. Breaking, cutting, drilling, abrading, grinding, sanding or vibrating non-friable asbestos-containing material if,
7. the material is not wetted to control the spread of dust or fibres, and
8. the work is done only by means of non-powered hand-held tools.”
9. Removing one square metre or more of drywall in which joint filling compounds that are asbestos-containing material have been used.
10. Breaking, cutting, drilling, abrading, grinding, sanding or vibrating non-friable asbestos-containing material if the work is done by means of power tools that are attached to dust-collecting devices equipped with HEPA filters.
11. Removing insulation that is asbestos-containing material from a pipe, duct or similar structure using a glove bag.
12. Cleaning or removing filters used in air handling equipment in a building that has sprayed fireproofing that is asbestos-containing material.

“The following are Type 3 operations:

1. The removal or disturbance of more than one square metre of friable asbestos-containing material during the repair, alteration, maintenance or demolition of all or part of a building, aircraft, ship, locomotive, railway car or vehicle or any machinery or equipment.
2. The spray application of a sealant to friable asbestos-containing material.
3. Cleaning or removing air handling equipment, including rigid ducting but not including filters, in a building that has sprayed fireproofing that is asbestos-containing material.
4. Repairing, altering or demolishing all or part of a kiln, metallurgical furnace or similar structure that is made in part of refractory materials that are asbestos-containing materials.
5. Breaking, cutting, drilling, abrading, grinding, sanding or vibrating non-friable asbestos-containing material, if the work is done by means of power tools that are not attached to dust-collecting devices equipped with HEPA filters.
6. Repairing, altering or demolishing all or part of any building in which asbestos is or was used in the manufacture of products, unless the asbestos was cleaned up and removed before March 16, 1986.

(5) Work on ceiling tiles, drywall or friable asbestos-containing material is classified according to the total area on which work is done consecutively in a room or enclosed area, even if the work is divided into smaller jobs.”

Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for asbestos is 0.1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air as an eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA).

At one time, as late as the 70s, the PEL was 10, and then moved to 5, then 2, then 1 and now all the way down to .1 f/cc.

Asbestos causes three types of diseases, lung cancer, asbestosis and Mesothelioma. Hopefully, none of the staff or students received any life altering exposure.

HRS Group Inc. has a great team that can help you with all your health and safety needs. Contact Deborah toll free at 1-877-907-7744 or locally at 705-749-1259.

We can also be reached at 

Ensure your workplace is a safe place.

Remember – In Canada, “ALL Accidents are Preventable”

‘Work’ and ‘Play’ safe.

Daniel L. Beal

CHSEP – Advanced Level
CEO & Senior Trainer
HRS Group Inc.