Expert panel appointed to review handling of materials containing asbestos
Published: February 2, 2018
The University of Toronto has asked an expert panel to review the way materials containing asbestos are handled across its campuses.
The three-member review team is composed of both external and 茄子直播 experts. It will be chaired by epidemiologist Jack Siemiatycki, a professor of social and preventive medicine at 脡cole de sant茅 publique de l'Universit茅 de Montr茅al (ESPUM) and the principal scientist at le Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l鈥橴niversit茅 de Montr茅al.
The other members are both at 茄子直播鈥檚 division of occupational and environmental health: Associate Professor Andrea Sass-Kortsak, and Roland Hosein, an adjunct professor. Hosein is also the former vice-president of environment, health and safety at General Electric Canada Company Inc.
鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to providing a safe environment for our community to study and work and this review is an effort to ensure we are doing our best,鈥 said Scott Mabury, vice-president of university operations. 鈥淲e are very grateful to the panel鈥檚 members for agreeing to take up this important task.鈥
The panel鈥檚 mandate is to examine and evaluate 茄子直播鈥檚 Asbestos Management Program on all three campuses to make recommendations on best practices and to ensure the program complies with regulations.
In advance of major renovations, it is standard practice at 茄子直播 to remove any materials that contain asbestos, which was in common use until the 1980s. The university also maintains a detailed database of locations where asbestos is known to be present.
The panel will provide a report to Mabury, Vivek Goel, vice-president of research and innovation, and Kelly Hannah-Moffat, vice-president of human resources and equity. The university plans to make the recommendations public along with its response.
The expert review comes after questions were raised last year about the university鈥檚 handling of construction work involving asbestos at the Medical Sciences Building. Since then, the university has taken more than 3,400 random air tests at MSB. All tests all have shown the building is safe.
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