Hazardous Building Materials Assessment

Canadian provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia require that a Hazardous Building Materials Assessment (HBMA) be completed for due-diligence purposes, prior to a planned renovation or demolition of a building. For all practicable purposes, the HBMA is synonymous with a DSS in Ontario.

Premier surveyors have experience with province-specific requirements for HBMA’s, such as those regulated by provincial Occupational Health and Safety Acts, and specified under codes of practice or guidance documents published by:

• Work Safe B.C.
• Alberta Government
• Government of Saskatchewan
• Safe Work Manitoba
• Ontario Ministry of Labour
• Quebec Commission de la Santé et de la Sécurité du Travail (CSST)

The following hazardous building materials are included in the standard HBMA:

• Asbestos in building materials
• Lead in paint applications, concrete, mortar, and piping
• Mercury in thermometers, pressure gauges, electrical switches, and relays
• Silica in concrete, masonry, stone, and boiler refractory
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fluorescent light fixtures and ballasts, and transformers and other electrical equipment
• Mould contaminated building materials
• Ozone depleting substances (ODS) in heating a cooling appliances and equipment

The survey can also be expanded to include other potentially hazardous substances such as radioactive materials, and Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI).

Premier’s standard HBMA includes the following main elements:

• Site visit to complete a visual inspection of all readily accessible building areas to identify and delineate materials and equipment potentially containing designated substances or hazardous materials
• Sample collection for analysis by an accredited laboratory.
• Preparation of a summary report containing:
  • Floorplans depicting the locations of all materials and samples collected
  • Laboratory certificates of analysis
  • Photographic log
  • Regulatory overview
  • General recommendations and reporting of quantities if applicable.

Premier’s team of qualified building assessors have completed surveys in all size and type of building, from single-family homes to high-rise office buildings, or industrial facilities such as paper mills. We have the capacity to survey your portfolio of buildings across Canada quickly and efficiently, and we will provide a Senior Professional to be a single point of contact for all properties.

When requesting a HBMA, be sure to specify whether destructive sampling is possible. Additional materials are often identified when surveyors are able to view behind enclosed wall or ceiling spaces, and this can reduce the occurrence of unforeseen complications after construction has begun.

Contact Us today to learn more about our Hazardous Building Materials Assessment Services.