Can my Calgary contractor keep working near asbestos in another room?

It depends on whether the work will disturb the material. Alberta's OHS Code says that when a building is being altered or renovated, the employer must ensure that materials in the area of the alterations that could release asbestos fibres are encapsulated, enclosed or removed. A general contractor running a crew in an adjacent room is still an employer bound by those rules, and the Code says a building is in an unsafe condition if fibres may be released anywhere in it.

Here is what the rules actually require before anyone keeps working.

What Alberta OHS requires

The OHS Code sets out three duties that apply the moment asbestos-containing material is identified or reasonably suspected in a renovation scope. First, the employer responsible for the abatement must file a notification with a Director at least 72 hours before any activity that may release fibres, and no such work may start until that filing is made. Second, every worker who enters an asbestos restricted area must carry an original, valid Alberta asbestos worker certificate issued after completing a government-approved course of at least 14 instructional hours, with a pass mark of 80 per cent written and a practical component. Third, waste must be stored and transported in sealed, impervious, labelled containers. There is no minimum quantity that exempts a job from these duties.

The City of Calgary adds its own layer. For any building permit or demolition permit on a pre-1990 structure, the City's Asbestos Abatement Information Form must be submitted before the permit releases. If asbestos is discovered after a permit has already issued, the City's form says to stop work immediately, provide the OHS notification as required, and submit a building permit revision. Material elsewhere in the building that remains undisturbed and out of scope does not trigger the form, but the moment a crew is working near it, that boundary matters.

A few practical points worth raising with your contractor:

• The risk class of the material (low, moderate or high, as described in the Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual) shapes what controls are needed, but the 72-hour notification applies regardless of risk class.
• Air testing after abatement confirms fibre levels are low enough before the enclosure or containment comes down. For moderate-risk work the Manual sets a final result of less than 0.01 fibres per cubic centimetre; for high-risk work the enclosure stays under negative pressure until the air results are low enough to dismantle it. Ask for that testing to be done by a consultant independent of the abatement crew, and ask which lab will count the samples.
• There is no contractor or company licence for asbestos abatement in Alberta. The credentials that exist in law are the worker certificate and the employer's filed notification.

Before you let any work continue, ask your contractor to show you the 72-hour notification confirmation number, the worker certificates for everyone entering the restricted area, and who will issue the independent clearance letter once abatement is done.

If you need an abatement contractor for the other room, the form on this page reaches contractors in the Calgary Construction Network directory.