Saskatchewan Makes Asbestos Reporting Mandatory

Saskatchewan is set to become to first province in Canada to mandate the reporting of public buildings that are known to contain asbestos.

Last week, the province’s Public Health (Howard’s Law) Amendment Act passed its third reading.

The Act requires information about public buildings containing asbestos to be reported on the Saskatchewan Asbestos Register (SAR), a registry for public buildings including hospitals, schools and government offices which are known to contain asbestos.

Launched in November, the registry represents a response to the efforts of Howard Williams, a former building inspector who died of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by inhaling asbestos fibres.

Williams had been a strong advocate for public reporting on the presence of the deadly material, especially where construction work is being done. Usually found in building materials such as insulation, asbestos is considered harmless if undisturbed, but construction or renovation work has been known to stir up hazardous fibres which can be inhaled.

At the time, the register was voluntary but groups such as the Lung Association of Saskatchewan complained it did not go far enough and that reporting on the presence of the deadly material should be mandatory in public buildings.

The new legislation essentially puts this mandatory reporting into effect.

Provincial Health Minister Dustin Duncan said the registrar and new requirements will provide the community with easier access to information about the presence of asbestos in public buildings.

Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan agreed, adding that the registry and the mandatory reporting requirements were important steps in protecting workers.

“We are approaching the Day of Mourning when we remember those injured or lost through workplace injury and disease” Morgan said.

“All of us need to work together to make sure that all of our workers come home safe every day.”

The World Health Organization estimates that on a global basis, around 107,000 workers die of asbestos related disease each year.

 By Andrew Heaton

Top Image Source: EMSL Analytical, Inc.