Education Facilities Managers Trade Show and Conference Update

Steve Maurer, head of Business Development for Enviro-Vac, recently set up an exhibitor's booth in Red Deer, Alberta to participate in the Alberta Education Facility Managers & Administrators Association conference. The theme of the trade show was sports.

According to Steve, “the show was a tremendous success as it created an opportunity to further illustrate the ongoing hazards of asbestos containing materials and lead paint in school buildings as well as further demonstrate Enviro-Vac’s ability to provide their professional, turn-key abatement and decontamination service abilities”.

With many of the school districts planning their summer maintenance schedules, the timing was perfect for Enviro-Vac to interact with education facility managers about the dangers of asbestos and lead paint in education facilities and further emphasize that asbestos is Canada’s top work place killer.

News stories about unsafe and unhealthy schools that have asbestos or lead contamination are not new. Asbestos can be found in over 3,000 building products and in schools is commonly found in floor covering, boilers, pipe insulation, texture ceilings and drywall, ceiling tiles, thermal and fire insulation to mention just a few products.

Enviro-Vac understands that the summer break can be a demanding time for education facilities and that many maintenance projects are scheduled beforehand as part of routine maintenance and that asbestos and lead abatement is often scheduled as part of the maintenance program.  “When dealing with hazardous materials such as asbestos or lead, it is often necessary to temporarily isolate a section of the school, which is not easy to do when schools are occupied”, Steve added.

Enviro-Vac completes many projects for numerous school districts in Western Canada each summer and we always ask the schools to contact us early on to schedule work during this busy season.