Health Authority, Supervisor & Workers Charged with OHS Violations

At the Miller Centre in St. John’s, maintenance work was conducted in an area where asbestos was known to be present. As a result, the OHS Branch of Service NL charged the healthy authority, a supervisor and two workers with violations of the OHS Act and the Asbestos Abatement Regulations. Specifically, the health authority was charged with 10 violations, including failing to ensure a decontamination area was set up and to provide ventilation and appropriate respirators during the work. The supervisor was charged with four violations; the two workers were each charged with failing to take reasonable care to protect their own health and safety and that of other workers, while one of these workers was also charged with failing to use equipment that was provided for his protection [Eastern Regional Health Authority, Govt. News Release, May 6, 2016].