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May 06, 2022 - 12:40 PM
The North Okanagan-Shuswap school district has been fined more than $200,000 for drilling into walls containing asbestos.
According to a WorkSafe B.C. decision, School District No. 83 was conducting security upgrades at a school in Salmon Arm and drilled holes to install wiring which disturbed drywall and vermiculite. Both substances were identified as asbestos-containing materials.
The decision doesn't say at which Salmon Arm school the incident took place or when.
WorkSafeBC issued the $204,814 fine Mar. 22.
"The employer failed to ensure hazardous materials were safely contained or removed before beginning renovation work that could disturb those materials," the decision reads.
WorkSafeBC says this is a repeated violation.
The decision says the school district has requested a review of the infraction.
This isn't the first issue the school board has had with asbestos.
In February 2019 the School District had an issue at Silver Creek Elementary school when a small piece of drywall mud containing asbestos was cut with a utility knife during construction.
At the time the School District said students and staff in the area may have been exposed to asbestos for two weeks.
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