ASBESTOS TESTING AND INSPECTION IN KELOWNA, VERNON, PENTICTON AND KAMLOOPS FOR MORE THAN JUST CEILING, TILE AND DRYWALL
We offer Asbestos Testing in Revelstoke, Kamloops, Armstrong, Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton, Osoyoos, Grand Forks, Creston and Everywhere in between. Concerned? Call Us Today!
How Workers are Exposed!
What is Asbestos? Types and Health Risks
Asbestos Survey for Popcorn Ceiling, Floor Tiles, Pipes and Dry Wall
Anyone who repairs, renovates, or demolishes older buildings in B.C. is at risk of inhaling asbestos fibres. Found in dozens of items in older buildings, asbestos breaks down into small fibres as its ages or when it is disturbed. Touching or moving it releases the fibres into the air, where they can linger for hours. Professional Asbestos Inspection, sampling and testing is strongly recommended for any business or homeowner looking to repair, renovate or demolish a home or building. It is the LAW. And finable by WCB.
Types, Diseases and Health Risks of Aesbestos
People exposed to asbestos won’t develop illnesses right away. It can take years before your health is affected. Research shows that smokers who inhale asbestos fibres greatly increase their risk of lung cancer.
Never assume a building material is free of asbestos. You can’t tell just by looking at it. If you suspect asbestos is present, stop work immediately and have a qualified asbestos professional complete an asbestos survey.
If asbestos is found, the law requires employers to hire a qualified abatement contractor to remove it. A qualified person must also certify that the worksite air is safe, following the completion of the asbestos removal work. A notice of project must be submitted to WorkSafeBC for all asbestos work.
Asbestos was commonly utilized in various applications of construction prior to the ban in 1999. Any of the structures built using Asbestos 1999 or prior are still standing today! For YOUR SAFETY Assure Property Solution recommends having a complete and thorough Asbestos Inspection, Sample Testing and reporting completed prior to any work being completed! It’s the LAW!
Asbestos Exposure:
Fibers, Cancer, Poisoning and Death:
• Demolition and Renovation Contractors
• Carpenters, Plumbers, and Electricians
• Building Owners, Home Inspectors, Insurance Adjusters, and Real-
estate Agents
Risks with Asbestos:
Lung Damage, Respiroty Problems,
and Asbestosis Disease
• Asbestosis
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma (a cancer)
• Pleural thickening (a lung disease)
Asbestos Testing Labs in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, and Kamloops
To reduce the potential for injury or disease, you need to control the risks and hazards in your workplace. Don’t worry, we have the best asbestos testing labs in Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops and all across British Columbia.
The most effective way to manage the risk of exposure to asbestos is to eliminate the source of exposure. If that’s not possible, there are other risk controls to use. When choosing risk controls, start by asking yourself the questions in the following steps, listed in order of effectiveness. See our resources for more information.
Elimination or Substitution
Eliminating the asbestos hazard by substituting a safer material, where possible, is the
most effective solution. Question to consider:
✔️ Can you replace asbestos containing products such as brakes, clutches, or gaskets with non-asbestos substitutes?
Engineering Controls
Making physical modifications to facilities, equipment, and processes can reduce exposure. Some questions to consider:
✔️ Can asbestos containing materials be encapsulated or enclosed?
✔️ How can asbestos removal work areas be enclosed, and the air filtered to prevent the escape of asbestos fibres?
✔️ How will worker exposure to asbestos be monitored?
✔️ How will asbestos waste be properly contained and disposed of?
Administrative Controls
Making physical modifications to facilities, equipment, and processes can reduce exposure. Some questions to consider:
✔️ Can asbestos containing materials be encapsulated or enclosed?
✔️ How can asbestos removal work areas be enclosed, and the air filtered to prevent the escape of asbestos fibres?
✔️ How will worker exposure to asbestos be monitored?
✔️ How will asbestos waste be properly contained and disposed of?
Personal Protective Equipment
This is the least effective control. It must always be used in addition to at least one other control. Personal protective equipment must always be used when working with asbestos. Some questions to consider:
✔️ Do workers have the required personal protective equipment, including respirators and protective clothing?
✔️ Have respirators been checked and fit tested to make sure they will work properly?
Have Questions?
Have Questions? Reach Out to Us!
Check if YOUR Contractor is Insured
Why do I need a Clearance Report/Letter?
When it comes to protecting yourself from liability, it is critical to know if a business or contractor you plan to hire is Certified, Insured and in good standing.
To protect yourself or your business from problems or additional insurance premiums, always get an ASBESTOS Survey Completed and a Clearance Letter Signed before and after you receive services from an Abatement Company or Subcontractor from a 3rd party Indoor Air Quality Professional! A clearance letter confirms the home or business in question has completed the required remediation correctly and environmental testing has occurred and that the home or building is safe to occupy, and that Air Quality Levels are Acceptable. In order to be absolved of any potential liability related to your subcontractor’s work, you must receive a clearance letter stating that the indoor Air Quality is SAFE!
An Asbestos Inspection is Critical for Everyone
• Considering buying a home built during the 1990s or earlier
• Property owners who are considering maintenance or renovations on a property built 1990s or earlier
• Property Investors buying property to renovate and resell or to tenant
• Commercial Property Owners and Managers
• Body Corporate or Strata Title Managers
• Anybody with control or management of a Workplace
What to Expect from an Asbestos Inspection?
An Asbestos Inspection includes a full visual assessment to identify areas of the building which potentially contain Asbestos. The building or area in question is surveyed, building material are listed where and how much Asbestos is potentially found. This information MUST be documented in a written report proving that a CERTIFIED Asbestos Testing Laboratory carried out the Testing and Reporting.
Recommendations for further risk management requirements are also available. Assure Property Solutions Inc. does NOT offer Asbestos Removal services, we have no vested interest in either overstating the quantity of suspect or Asbestos Containing Materials or in exaggerating the poor condition of the material, constraining your management options to removal when there may be suitable alternatives.
In many situations the presence of asbestos containing material can only be confirmed with an Asbestos Laboratory Test. This requires that one or a number of small samples are safely removed and sent to an accredited Laboratory for testing and analysis.
Assure can provide safe and reliable Asbestos Investigation, Tests and Sampling Analysis in conjunction with our accredited laboratory partners. In addition, Assure NOW OFFERS Asbestos Air Sampling.
It is critical that anyone considering even minor maintenance and renovations which may include drilling, scraping, demolishing or disposing of building materials that you have an Inspection organized quickly and efficiently by our qualified Asbestos Inspectors.
An Asbestos Test can potentially ensure that you do not expose yourself, your family and even contractors to the dangerous hazard.
Since Asbestos needs to be handled carefully, only trust trained professionals to take care of your asbestos identification and asbestos testing requirements.
Get the reassurance that your home or building is free from illness causing asbestos.