Contractor management

General construction

At SFU, specific standardized safety processes exist to ensure that health and safety is maintained during all campus construction projects. The information below provides a framework for all contractors working at SFU and must be adhered to. As a contractor, review the information below and complete all requirements before, during, and after any work.

Asbestos

Contractors working with asbestos

Before you start

Prior to impacting any building material on SFU campuses, the material needs to be assessed for the presence of asbestos.

Some materials may already be assessed and SFU will have records of this, which can reduce or eliminate the requirement for an assessment report.  For more information, email EHS at hazmat_work@sfu.ca along with a copy of your scope of work.

If the materials are not assessed or only portions of them are, then SFU will retain a 3rd party qualified consultant to assess all materials that will be impacted as a part of your scope of work.  This can be done by requesting it through the SFU Project Manager.

Assessment report and submittals

When you have the assessment report and are ready to begin work, ensure that the following checks have been made prior to beginning the work:

  1. The assessment report accurately reflects your scope of work, and every material is accounted for within the report.

    If this is not true, and the consultant missed a material, there is an uncommon or concealed material discovered or the scope of work has changed, then a reassessment of the materials must be conducted prior to impacting them.

  2. If there are asbestos-containing materials identified, a WorkSafe BC Notice of Project (NOP), along with site-specific risk assessment(s) and safe work procedure(s) for each type of asbestos-containing material is required.  Ensure these requirements are met and that EHS and the Project Manager have had a full 48 hours (only business days, Monday - Friday) to review these prior to starting work.

If the work is limited and small in scope (example: anchoring a TV on a wall), is an assessment report still required?

Yes, this still requires the materials to be assessed.  Depending on the type of wall, it could contain asbestos.  Even though the size of the work and the impact to the materials may be relatively small, it still requires assessment so that adequate controls may be implemented to limit the risk of exposure.

Disposal

If asbestos-containing materials are removed as part of your scope of work, ensure that the materials and any contaminated materials are disposed of as hazardous waste.  This waste must be disposed at a recognized landfill that is approved to accept asbestos waste.

A waste manifest must be used for transporting any quantity in excess of 5 kg. Hazardous waste shipments requiring the use of a hazardous waste manifest must be transported by a transporter licensed by the Ministry of Environment.