Outlines dangers of substance, how it should be handled
WorkSafeBC has launched www.hiddenkiller.ca — a new website to raise awareness of where asbestos is found and how it should be handled.
The site is the first of its kind, according to WorkSafeBC, and is part of the organization’s efforts to raise awareness about the potential deadly effects of asbestos exposure in the workplace.
Asbestos exposure is British Columbia’s number one occupational disease. Of 143 accepted fatality claims last year, 75 were the result of occupational disease and the majority of those can be attributed to asbestos exposure. This trend is expected to continue, according to WorkSafeBC.
The name of the website refers to the fact asbestos fibres, which can be released during construction, can’t be seen or smelled when inhaled into the lung but the damage is irreparable.
“Too many workers in British Columbia are affected by asbestos exposures each year,” said Minister of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government Stephanie Cadieux. “This new website is a significant step forward in our efforts to educate and help protect B.C. workers from the dangers of this harmful substance and, hopefully one day, we can eliminate asbestos exposures altogether.”
The results of asbestos fibres in the lungs can appear decades after exposure and have the potential to lead to debilitating chronic diseases, including asbestosis or mesothelioma.
“We are committed to educating workers, employers and the general public about the dangers of asbestos,” said Diana Miles, senior vice-president of worker and employer services operations at WorkSafeBC. “This site will present one comprehensive source providing key information and resources on asbestos to help in our exposure prevention initiative.”
The website includes information on what asbestos is, where it can be found and how it should be handled. There are also real-life stories about workers and families dealing with the consequences of asbestos exposure and information about how to file a work-related exposure claim.
