A survey conducted earlier this year by a Canadian bank found that nearly 40 per cent of British Columbia (B.C.) homeowners were planning on renovating their homes. And while that’s great news for the construction industry, it’s important to be aware of the health dangers that asbestos-containing building materials in older homes pose to contractors and their crew.
For workers in B.C., asbestos-related diseases are the leading cause of death, and the number-one cause of death in the construction industry. Between 1996 and 2017, there were 1,101 deaths due to historical asbestos exposure, and about one-third of those were construction workers.