Why wet asbestos material during removal in Ontario?

In Ontario, wetting is part of how the law sorts the work. Health Canada lists breaking apart, sanding, scraping and similar activities among the ways renovation can release asbestos fibres, and the asbestos regulation ties one of its Type 1 operations to keeping the material wet.

Ontario's O. Reg. 278/05 builds wetting into the Type classifications directly. Breaking or cutting non-friable asbestos-containing material with non-powered hand-held tools is classified as Type 1 only when the material is wetted during the work. If the material is cut dry, that item no longer applies: the regulation's catch-all makes any operation not listed as Type 1 or Type 3 a Type 2 operation, and power tools without HEPA dust collection make it Type 3, with a Ministry of Labour inspector notice before the job starts and a clearance air test once the enclosure is dry. So wetting is not just a precaution: it is part of what determines which set of legal requirements applies to the job.

For Type 2 and Type 3 the thresholds turn on friability and area: one square metre or less of friable material is Type 2, more than one square metre is Type 3. Whether a material is friable is assessed on site by the contractor. That is why you should ask for the Type in writing before work begins: it tells you exactly which controls the contractor is legally required to follow.

What a fair quote should address

• Which Type applies and why, in writing
• Whether the method relies on wetting, since that is part of the Type 1 test
• For Type 3: confirmation that workers have completed the Asbestos Abatement Worker Training Program and supervisors the Asbestos Abatement Supervisor Training Program, both approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, and that the Ministry of Labour inspector notice has been given before work starts
• Whether a clearance air test is included; O. Reg. 278/05 section 18 requires one after Type 3 work, and you can ask for it to be included in the quote for lower-Type jobs as well
• Which disposal site has agreed to accept the waste under Ontario Regulation 347, because asbestos waste cannot leave the site until that arrangement is confirmed

Health Canada advises hiring a professional to test before renovating and a qualified asbestos removal specialist if asbestos is found, rather than attempting the work yourself.

You can request contact from local abatement contractors listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory through the form on this page.

Before you commit to anyone, ask the contractor to name the disposal facility that has agreed to accept the waste and confirm it in writing, because that single detail tells you the job has been planned end to end.