Whether you own or rent your business premises, you are responsible for complying with the regulation on asbestos safety management. The CNESST has been enforcing this regulation since 2013 with the requirement that you establish an asbestos register.
What is an asbestos register?
The register of preventive asbestos management is used to identify, locate and verify materials in your company that contain or are likely to contain asbestos. The register also maintains an inventory of the work you have done to decontaminate or repair problematic materials and disclose all relevant information.
To fill in your register properly, you must inspect your business premises thoroughly so as to locate any materials presumed to contain asbestos – until you can prove the substance isn’t present.
The CNESST offers a register template to make this easier, as well as a list of the main materials and products likely to contain asbestos.
Main suspects: flocking and heat insulating materials!
During your inspection, pay particular attention to flocking and heat insulating materials, both of which are used in insulation procedures; they are especially likely to involve asbestos. There are special provisions that apply to these materials, including an inspection every two years.
- Flocking is a mixture of friable materials applied by spraying in order to cover a given surface, most often for heat insulation.
- A heat insulating material is a material that covers a facility or equipment, often pipes, to prevent heat loss.