Asbestos Litigation

A Canadian demolition contractor who appeared to have avoided jail for asbestos violations may not be out of the woods yet.

WorkSafeBC, the Canadian province of British Columbia's workplace-safety entity, is appealing a court ruling that spared Arthur Moore a prison sentence. The Vancouver Sun reports that Moore avoided jail time because of a legal technicality.

Moore had been accused of not properly training or equipping young workers who performed asbestos handling work for his company, AM Environmental.

Proper equipment and training are essential for those who will be removing or handling the naturally occurring mineral from buildings as the inhalation of the deadly mineral fiber has been proven to cause a number of serious diseases such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

At the original B.C. Supreme Court Trial, Justice Jeanne Watchuk found that Moore had committed safety violations but said she could not find the man in contempt of court - a charge that WorkSafeBC had sought - because it was unclear whether a stop-work injunction was intended for him personally or for his business, reports the news source.