B.C. business owner fined $20K after exposing unwitting workers to asbestos

The owner of a Surrey, B.C., drywall recycling company has been fined $20,000 after he knowingly exposed workers to asbestos without telling them.

The owner of a Surrey, B.C., drywall recycling company has been fined $20,000 after he knowingly exposed workers to asbestos without telling them.

Vivesh Kochner pleaded guilty to Workers Compensation Act charges last month, more than two years after violating a stop-work order at a property where inspectors had found the cancer-causing substance.

WorkSafeBC said Kochner hired a third-party contractor to clear asbestos-containing material from the worksite, but never informed the workers asbestos was present or provided them with the required personal protective equipment.

As many as 15 people were exposed to asbestos as a result.

"More than half of all work-related fatalities are from occupational diseases, of which the majority are from exposure to asbestos," said Al Johnson, WorkSafeBC's head of prevention services, in a statement.

"We cannot, and will not, tolerate employers endangering the lives of workers. There are profound consequences for this kind of egregious disregard for worker health and safety."

On top of his fine, Kochner was ordered to pay a victim surcharge and banned from owning or operating any type of business that involves the management, handling or disposal of asbestos.