July 31, 2012

DAN O’REILLY

A group of Priestly Demolition asbestos abatement workers take time out for lunch. Shown sitting at front are: supervisor Shaun Raven, Juan Cordero, and Andres Munoz. In the back row are: Andres Amezquita, Julio Posada, and Juan Storino.

FEATURE | Site Services

Asbestos abatement crews dig in and stand out

DAN O’REILLY

correspondent

Even in the physically demanding construction industry, asbestos abatement workers stand apart for their ability to work nine to 10-hour days in often confined spaces, wearing respiratory equipment and full layer of protective clothing.

“They have to be motivated and prepared to work as the conditions are hot and dirty,” says Ron Amaral, an estimator and project manager with I & I Construction Services Limited.

Asbestos abatement is often considered an entry-level job into construction and many workers often move on, he says. “They go to a job where conditions are better and once they leave they don’t come back.”

Richmond Hill-based I & I is the abatement subcontractor at one of the largest demolition and remediation projects currently underway in Toronto. The former Four Seasons Hotel in the city’s trendy Yorkville district is being converted into a condominium. Priestly Demolition is the demolition contractor overseeing the gutting of the units on the building which is comprised of 30 residential floors and two mechanical ones. The project started in early July and is expected to continue to Christmas.

Material deemed non-hazardous is being removed by the demolition crews, followed by the physical removal and disposal of the drywall which tests have confirmed contains asbestos. The removal is being conducted as Type 2 abatement under the Occupational Health & Safety Act, although the mechanical floors are a Type 3 operation, he says.

“Ninety per cent of asbestos abatement is the preparation work,” says Amaral, in describing the elaborate precautions needed to protect the workers. The crews are comprised of both Priestly and I & I employees.

At each storey, polyethylene is placed over the floors to catch falling debris, negative air pressure is created and a decontamination chamber is installed at each elevator opening before the remediation can begin, he says.

Constructed by the abatement crews, the chamber is equipped with both a “clean” a “dirty” room, and a shower stall. At the beginning of the day, the workers enter the clean room, remove their street clothes and put on boots, masks, respiratory equipment, gloves, and Tye suits.

When they leave the decommissioned zone, however, they have to remove their safety equipment in the dirty room and then shower. As no food or drinks can be consumed in the work space, it’s a procedure that is repeated many times in one day, says Amaral.

“We can work no more than five hours (straight),” says Priestly Demolition supervisor Juan Storino.

Usually coffee and washroom breaks are staggered, so there is no slowdown in the schedule. But there have been occasions, when it’s very hot and uncomfortable, that he has ordered everyone out, Storing says.

“The first thing we do is wash our masks.”

An asbestos abatement worker for 11 years, Storino was one of a group of Priestly employees — most of whom are new Canadians — who took time during their one-hour lunch to speak to DCN. The focus of the conversation was how they cope with the gruelling conditions.

“You get used to it. But not everyone can do it,” says Andres Amezquita. Citing examples such as constructing the decontamination chamber and strictly following safety procedures, the work actually requires a certain skills set, he says.

“This is a great job with a good pay” — and at least in the case of Priestly Demolition — “they treat you like a human being,” says Amezquita.

The workers at the Four Seasons Hotel, as with all Priestly Demolition projects, have to be up to speed with such items as WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System), asbestos awareness, and fall protection, says project manager Brian Druery.

Although Priestly has its own abatement workers, it will contact union halls when additional manpower is needed, he says.

On this project the workforce is comprised of an equal number of demolition and remediation crews. Both will have to push hard to meet project deadlines, says Druery. “We will be doing two floors a week. We’re not there yet, but that’s the aim.”,

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