Clean up of a downtown Vernon fire site has been halted due to hazardous materials

Photo: Darren Handschuh

Work to clean up a large Vernon fire site has been stopped before it really began.

The massive fire in the downtown core completely destroyed a building on July 4, 2023, leaving a pile of rubble behind.

The fire also destroyed multiple businesses inside the building at the corner of 29th Avenue and 30th Street.

Work to clean up the mess was supposed to start last week, but a stop-work order has been issued by WorkSafe BC because of hazardous materials at the site.

On March 12, an inspection at the workplace was conducted to assess compliance with the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

Asbestos was discovered at the site.

The report states 14 samples were collected from various locations from the debris and analyzed for asbestos, two of which contained the cancer-causing material.

A section of the report states:

"Due to the presence of asbestos-containing drywall joint compound debris, the debris pile should be treated as an asbestos-contaminated environment. These areas should be isolated and entry to these areas should be limited to workers following moderate risk asbestos work procedures."

The report says the plan was to section off the material that was noted on the hazardous material survey as non-asbesbtos-containing and remove it without using asbestos-related controls. The rest of the material would then be considered asbestos-containing and would be removed using moderate-risk procedures.

The report goes on to say the inspector “spoke to the foreman, project supervisor, one worker, and the owner of the property while onsite” and “explained that due to the significant damage to the building material and disruption of debris during and following the fire, it is not practicable to discern what material is or is not contaminated with asbestos.”

The inspector arrived on site and observed some debris had been moved into a pile near the entrance using an excavator. The inspector spoke to the foreman and confirmed the plans for the abatement of the debris.

“Workers were observed not wearing personal protective equipment required for moderate-risk asbestos work (e.g., respirators, disposable coveralls). The cab of the excavator was wide open and the worker was observed eating their lunch inside,” the report says.

“In order to remove and dispose of all hazardous materials safely, you must have trained and qualified hazardous materials-removal worker(s) conducting hazardous materials abatement using safe work practices and procedures. Employers must not disturb any material that is suspected or known to be asbestos-containing without the implementation of adequate exposure controls.”

Following the inspection of the site, the WorkSafe BC board “has reasonable grounds to believe there is a high risk of serious injury, serious illness or death to a worker at this workplace.”

Thus, a stop work order was issued.

The building's owner, Gary Batula, told Castanet in an earlier interview that NAPP Enterprises LTD. has been hired to clean-up the site.