Frequently asked questions

Asbestos is the generic name for six different naturally-occurring fibrous minerals. Asbestos may also be referred to as ACMs, which stands for asbestos-containing materials.

Before the mid-1980s, ACMs were widely used because of its useful properties of strength, flexibility and resistance to both heat and chemical corrosion.

For detailed information on asbestos, please read the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s fact sheet on asbestos.

The use of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) has significantly decreased as the negative health effects of exposure to asbestos became known. In Canada, the use of asbestos is allowed, but is strictly controlled under the Asbestos Products Regulations (SOR/2007-260), which fall under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.

ACMs used in construction are handled by qualified personnel and may only be installed in a controlled manner, which does not pose any threat to the health of building occupants.

Managing asbestos is a requirement in the Canada Part Labour Code, II—Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Also, the National Joint Council’s Occupational Health and Safety Directive, Part XI—Hazardous Substances states that the employer must comply with applicable federal, provincial, territorial and municipal regulations.

Please rest assured that DND buildings are safe. DND manages and controls the risks associated with asbestos present in its owned and leased buildings.

In accordance with federal and provincial regulations, building owners or employers must identify known asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in their building and have an asbestos management plan in place if asbestos is found or identified. This plan serves to provide details of the location and condition of the asbestos in the building. Federal building owners must conduct reassessments of the condition of ACMs, and either repair, encapsulate or remove any ACMs that are not in good condition.

This also applies to leased spaces: the building owners have to comply with Canada Labour Code requirements related to asbestos management.

Employees should raise health and safety concerns with their manager.

DND currently has the required asbestos information for 95% of its non-residential structures and assets. Most of the remaining non-residential buildings are found in remote locations, including many in the Arctic, and are still being evaluated. These are the buildings that contain blank spaces in the “asbestos present” and “management plan in place” columns. The inventory will be updated monthly until all information is compiled (100% reporting). This includes the update of “In Progress” statuses.

Please note that residential buildings will only be included in the inventory published here starting in fall 2018.

DND asbestos management plans ensure that occupants of DND-owned buildings are not exposed to asbestos in their workplace. DND is also working collaboratively with landlords of leased buildings to manage any presence of asbestos in those buildings.

For those buildings that do contain asbestos and do not have a completed asbestos management plan, DND will develop the appropriate management plans in accordance with DND’s Asbestos Management Directive. The current Asbestos Directive provides guidelines on the use of asbestos in new construction and handling of found asbestos in existing buildings (see How the Government of Canada manages asbestos in its buildings).

DND will ensure that the information on the inventories of other federal departments is made easily accessible for DND personnel working in buildings that are not owned by DND.

In accordance with federal regulations, each DND building where asbestos has been identified has an asbestos management plan. If asbestos has recently been discovered, an asbestos management plan may not yet be in place.

If you are a DND employee or Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member, you can ask for this information from your occupational health and safety committee, or consult information available on the DND Intranet. Residential buildings are required to be added to the inventory published here by fall 2018.

Asbestos management plans are technical documents that reside within the Real Property Operations Detachments/Sections. These plans can be made available locally at the request of the occupational health and safety committee. The plan normally contains: known and suspected locations of all asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in the building (plans and photographs); protective measures to be taken by employees/contractors when work is performed in space containing ACM; and protective measures to be taken should ACM be accidentally damaged. Plans are reviewed annually and updated every five years and whenever new information becomes available.

Because the health and safety of employees is a priority, DND leases space from owners who meet the legislative requirements as set out by the applicable acts and regulations.

All buildings owned or leased by DND that contain asbestos are required to have an asbestos management plan. If asbestos has recently been discovered, an asbestos management plan may not yet be in place, but will be made available in the coming months.

Yes. The location of asbestos within the building(s) is detailed in the asbestos management plan, and is validated by the annual reassessment of asbestos-containing materials report.

Yes, these documents are shared with the employer of the space, who is responsible to then share them with all members of the health and safety committees (which includes both employer and employee representatives). Employees interested in seeing the report should contact their manager.

Yes. In addition to the ongoing monitoring and management of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), more specific surveys of hazardous products are required and conducted before any construction or renovation project to identify all designated substances, including but not limited to ACMs, in the area proposed for renovation.

Workers follow specific protocols, and areas where this type of work is conducted are sealed off and contained. Any ACMs found are treated by qualified technicians in accordance with the applicable regulations throughout the project to ensure the continued safety of building occupants and technicians.