Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Vivesh Kochher and AVR Drywall Recycling Ltd. fined $20,000 by WorkSafe BC for knowingly exposing employees to asbestos

Darpan News Desk WorkSafe BC, 13 Apr, 2022 09:59 AM
  • Vivesh Kochher and AVR Drywall Recycling Ltd. fined $20,000 by WorkSafe BC for knowingly exposing employees to asbestos
Richmond, B.C. (April 13, 2022) — WorkSafeBC provided comment today on the sentencing of Vivesh Kochher who pleaded guilty to charges under the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
 
WorkSafeBC’s investigation determined that Mr. Kochher had failed to ensure the health and safety of between 13 and 15 workers, by knowingly exposing them to asbestos-containing material. The defendant had defied a WorkSafeBC stop-work order, which was issued on Sept. 21, 2019, by a WorkSafeBC Prevention Officer who inspected the site and found asbestos.
 
WorkSafeBC’s investigation recommended that charges be laid under the Workers Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Charges were laid in November 2021 and guilty pleas were entered in March 2022.
 
A hearing took place in Provincial Court on March 2, 2022, and the following sentence was imposed on Kochher:
  • A $20,000 fine, plus a victim surcharge.
  • Three-year prohibition on owning or operating a waste transfer facility or any other business that involves the management, handling, or disposal of asbestos-containing material.
“More than half of all work-related fatalities are from occupational diseases, of which the majority are from exposure to asbestos,” said Al Johnson, Head of Prevention Services for WorkSafeBC. “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."
 
Asbestos is the number one killer of workers in B.C. In the last 10 years, there were approximately 600 accepted claims for work-related deaths in B.C. because of asbestos exposure.
 
Photo AVR Drywall Recycling Ltd courtesy of Facebook. 

MORE National ARTICLES

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges more aggressive cuts to greenhouse-gas emissions to limit global warming to the 1.5 degrees in the 2015 Paris Accord.

New climate change report 'sobering:' Guilbeault

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch
Higher-wage, highly skilled workers will also be able to secure three years of employment eligibility instead of two, which the government says would also give them an easier path to permanent residency.

Feds ease foreign workers rules amid labour crunch

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm
The weather office warned of dangerous storm surges on Monday as west winds gust to 100 kilometres per hour. The agency said the winds could send waves of up to 12 metres "crashing onshore" during the height of the storm.

High waves, deep snow arrive in latest B.C. storm

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19
Horgan says his symptoms are mild and he is isolating and working from home. He recently underwent treatment of his throat cancer and was back in his office in January.

BC Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID19

Woman sexually assaulted during the early morning hours in an Abbotsford parking lot

Woman sexually assaulted during the early morning hours in an Abbotsford parking lot
A woman was reported walking through a local business parking lot when she was approached by an unknown man driving a grey or silver van. During this encounter, the victim was sexually assaulted. The suspect male is described as South Asian, 30 years of age, with short brown hair and a beard.

Woman sexually assaulted during the early morning hours in an Abbotsford parking lot

Canadians becoming more divided: survey

Canadians becoming more divided: survey
The national phone survey by the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan was done between March 7 and March 24. It asked 1,011 people about the issues that divide them the most.

Canadians becoming more divided: survey