IN SOLIDARITY - OPSEU

Health Hazard Alert
Asbestos at Mimico Correctional Centre
In Solidarity
In mid-January, Mimico Correctional
Centre sent out letters to 34 former employees, most
of whom worked in Maintenance or who had done
ICIT training at the jail, advising them that asbestos
had been found in the facility. The letter lists a
number of locations where asbestos has been
identified and goes on to say that
existing legislation requires the
employer to notify employees who
“worked on or in the identified
areas…” The letter also states that
there “are currently no indicators
to suggest that staff have been
‘exposed’ to friable material.”
What’s missing from the
employer’s letter?
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♦
♦
♦
The employer does not say that it was aware of
the presence of asbestos at Mimico since at least
1993 and apparently chose not to warn workers
or to take measures to reduce the risks of
exposure between 1993 and 2004.
The employer does not say that it had a copy of a
comprehensive asbestos investigation done in
March 2003 and chose to do nothing with that
report either.
The employer does not say how it developed the
list of employees to be notified.
The employer does not say which workers may
have had the greatest chance of exposure.
Why are workers just finding out about
possible asbestos exposures now?
♦ It is not at all clear what happened between 1993
and now. The Ministry of Labour has a copy of at
least one field visit report in 1993 when a small
asbestos removal job was completed at Mimico.
The Ministry of Labour reports that they came to
the site to observe the asbestos removal and
made no orders at that time. They state that they
have no other asbestos reports from Mimico until
2003. The employer denies having any asbestos
reports prior to 2003; in particular the employer
says it has no asbestos documentation from 1993.
♦ In the fall of 2004, OPSEU Joint Health
and Safety Committee members
discovered the 2003 asbestos report
which led them to demand an
explanation from the employer and
to eventually call in the Ministry of
Labour for assistance to ensure that
the employer was taking
appropriate action.
What does the 2003 asbestos investigation
report show?
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♦
In a nutshell, the report shows that there is a lot
of asbestos throughout the facility, much of it
exposed and much of it in poor to fair condition.
The report documents 58 sites where asbestos
was found, most of it in the form of insulation to
pipes and to pipe fittings.
Asbestos was considered to be in “good”
condition in just 40 per cent of the locations.
“Good” condition means that the asbestos is
completely wrapped and there are no signs that
the wrapping has been penetrated down to the
asbestos. In this condition, asbestos fibres should
not crumble off and be released into the air.
(Continued on page 17)
In Solidarity 16