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OPSEU Local 521

ASBESTOS AT MIMICO CORRECTIONAL CENTRE

Volume 1 Number 1: February, 2005

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 has 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?

 - 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 asbestos 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?

 - 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.

 - In about 44 per cent of the locations, asbestos was found to be in either “fair” or “poor” condition (24 per cent was fair, 20 per cent was poor). Fair condition means that the asbestos is exposed or that its wrapping has minor damage so there is a hazard that asbestos fibres could be released into the air where they may be inhaled. Poor condition means that there is more significant damage to the wrapping, exposing the asbestos and that there is obvious damage to the asbestos.

 - Twenty-one of the areas where asbestos was found were areas frequently entered by maintenance. An additional 28 areas had exposed asbestos that was accessible using a ladder.

What does this mean for someone who worked at Mimico Correctional Centre?

 - Although there is no amount of asbestos exposure that has been determined to be “safe,” it is reasonable to believe that higher exposures for longer durations are more dangerous. Consequently, the groups of workers identified by the employer (Maintenance and ICIT), in consultation with the Ministry of Labour, may be those at greater risk of eventually developing an asbestos-related illness.

 - Maintenance workers have the possibility of asbestos exposure if they were working directly with or around pipes and pipe fittings insulated with asbestos. The ICIT members who trained at Mimico have been identified because some of their training took place in an area with documented asbestos and one part of their training involved setting off explosive devices that may have dislodged loose (friable) asbestos from the exposed pipes/pipe fittings above their heads.

 - It is not clear how much exposure other workers may have had over the years at Mimico and it is not possible to calculate those exposures now. However, as stated above, there is a lot of asbestos throughout the buildings, much of it is exposed and much of it was found not to be in good condition in 2003.

What should I do if I used to work at Mimico and I am concerned about possible asbestos exposures?

 - Contact the Health and Safety Unit at OPSEU Head office (contact information below) for additional information.

 - The employer’s letter encourages those who receive it to provide names of those who are not listed. The Mimico contact is Deputy Superintendent Christine Eden.

 - When you next see your family physician advise her/him that you may have had asbestos exposures at work and request that this be noted in your medical record. Discuss the possibility of having a baseline chest x-ray to establish that you have no asbestos-related changes in your lungs at this time. It takes many years, often more than 20, before any asbestos-related health effects become apparent.

 - Complete a “Worker’s Exposure Incident Form” available on-line from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) at: www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/FormsWorkers  This form has been developed by the WSIB to encourage workers to document exposures to infectious diseases, chemicals or other substances which did not cause an illness at the time of exposure, but may result in an illness or disease in the future. The filing of the form begins the necessary paper trail if sometime in the future you become ill.

 - If there are a large number of workers, present and former, who have health concerns, it is possible for OPSEU to involve the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW). The OHCOW clinics have occupational health physicians and nurses, as well as other professional staff with expertise in occupational health and asbestos exposures. Staff at the OHCOW clinic may be able to give more complete information than some family doctors who will not be as familiar with asbestos exposures and possible health effects.

What is OPSEU doing about this issue?

 -Your brothers and sisters at the local level on the JHSC and the local executive are working hard to ensure that the employer now deals with the asbestos problem appropriately and quickly. Another asbestos investigation has been completed and removal and repair (known as asbestos remediation) is well underway. OPSEU local representatives have been present during the investigation and have raised critical questions during the remediation. They have also been in frequent contact with the Ministry of Labour inspectors and hygienists seeking assistance and notifying them of problems.

 - At OPSEU head office the Health and Safety Unit staff have been collecting information from the local, the Ministry of Labour and the employer, and offering advice to the local.

 - OPSEU members of the Provincial Health and Safety Committee are also aware and are offering advice.

 - If Mimico workers, past and present, wish to consult with an occupational health professional, please contact the Health and Safety Unit at OPSEU and we will coordinate a plan with the OHCOW clinics.

For more information, please contact the Health and Safety Unit staff at OPSEU Head Office: 416-443-8888 x 8772 or 8774; 1-800-268-7376

To get a copy of the WSIB Worker’s Exposure Incident Form, either go to the WSIB website at: www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/FormsWorkers  or call the following numbers: 416-344-1010 or 1-800-465-9646.