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Asbestos Awareness Week Raising Awareness and Promoting Prevention

Released on April 3, 2017

April 1-7 is Global Asbestos Awareness Week.  The week was established by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization to raise awareness and promote measures to prevent deadly diseases related to exposure.

In Saskatchewan, many products which once contained asbestos are either no longer in use or have been replaced.  However, workers and individuals may still be exposed to asbestos, for example when renovating older buildings.

It is mandatory to report asbestos in publically owned buildings such as schools, hospitals, or provincial government and crown corporation buildings, through the province’s online Asbestos Registry.

“I am proud of the groundbreaking work our Occupational Health and Safety team undertook to ensure that information about the presence of asbestos is accessible and understandable,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan said.  “Saskatchewan is a leader in this regard, and we have been contacted by other jurisdictions who want to learn more about how to establish similar registries.”

To date nearly 5,800 locations have been registered in the searchable online tool.

“There is a growing awareness in Canada about the health risks associated with asbestos exposure,” Morgan said.  “Just last December, the federal government announced a ban on asbestos along with plans to develop a registry similar to what we have created in Saskatchewan.”

Occupational Health and Safety also recently updated the Asbestos Abatement manual which provides detailed information about enclosing and removing asbestos containing materials.  The manual, along with more information about understanding, identifying and handling asbestos can be found at www.saskatchewan.ca/asbestos.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material which was regularly used in buildings from the 1950s until the late 1990s.  If products containing asbestos are disturbed, the tiny fibres are released into the air.  All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic.

The World Health Organization estimates that 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos in the workplace.

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For more information, contact:

Jennifer Veri
Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1331
Email: jennifer.veri@gov.sk.ca

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