See WSBC Update
New requirements regarding mandatory training and licensing for asbestos abatement work in BC came into effect on January 1, 2024. This means that asbestos abatement contractors must now be licensed to operate in British Columbia, and anyone performing asbestos abatement work must now be trained and certified.
For more information, visit the Asbestos training, certification & licensing section.
Enviro-Vac goes above and beyond. The word “Certified” in our opinion, is frequently misused in the asbestos abatement industry and can be misleading. Courses in asbestos abatement are an important element in abatement worker training and education but should only be part of the process that progresses to final worker certification and only after passing various tests along an apprentice style program. In our opinion, a three, four or 5-day course in asbestos awareness where a worker is certified is far removed from what can be a considered a competent or qualified worker.
Worker Training Requirements
Asbestos abatement requires a thorough understanding of special abatement techniques with work being carried out by competent persons who have sufficient multi-disciplinary training, experience and knowledge appropriate to the nature of the work to be undertaken.
Training to achieve full certification needs to be an apprentice style program requiring an adequate number of hours worked in the field supported with in-class learning through certified levels where the trainee learns new skills, methods and multiple safe work training modules and procedures e.g confined space and fall protection.
Enviro-Vac’s focus on dual-training maximizes individual worker potential creating a work environment that promotes and rewards long-term loyalty where trainees are paid for their time, including a structured, multi-tiered in class training system as follows:
Supplementary Training
The Enviro-Vac abatement team supplement and maintain their expertise with a variety of training platforms made available through industry schooling and in-house process testing. A consistent commitment to the industry and the Enviro-Vac team is supported with collaborative in-field training and observation, devising improved procedures and more efficient application methods.
We draw on over four decades of experience and best practice initiatives gained with boots on the ground and continually strive to improve the way we deliver projects. Our abatement and decontamination services are both highly structured and personalized. Risk-assessments, JSAs and site-specific work plans are tailored to assure safety and also meet time-sensitive requirements. We work with our clients to develop a project plan including key milestones.
Enviro-Vac is one of the oldest privately owned environmental contractors in Canada offering a full suite of services in hazardous materials abatement, industrial vacuuming, abrasive blasting, decontamination and plant dust downs including shrink- wrap containments. They are available to work both small and large- scale projects across Canada. The head office is based in Surrey, BC.
If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about hazardous materials abatement, decontamination or shrink-wrap solutions, please call us on our toll-free number, 1 (888) 296-2499.
