Commercial asbestos abatement and removal.
Sofisa handles asbestos abatement on commercial and industrial buildings across Toronto, Mississauga and the GTA, as part of the demolition and renovation work we carry out. Abatement is rarely the whole job — it is the scope that has to clear before the rest of the project can start.
Because we self-perform the demolition and the rebuild as well, the abatement scope sits inside one contract and one schedule instead of stalling while a separate contractor is booked.
When abatement comes before demolition or renovation
Any commercial building of a certain age can hold materials that have to be dealt with before walls come down or services are opened up. On most projects the sequence is fixed: identify what is there, remove or manage what has to go, confirm the area is ready, then let interior demolition or commercial demolition proceed.
Discovering it late is what turns a two-week strip-out into a two-month one. It is worth resolving before the tender closes, not after mobilization.
01Materials that commonly contain asbestos in commercial buildings
Ontario Regulation 278/05 treats a material as asbestos-containing when it holds 0.5 per cent or more asbestos by dry weight. In commercial and industrial stock the materials most often tested include:
- Sprayed fireproofing and thermal insulation
- Pipe, boiler and duct insulation and their fittings
- Vinyl floor tile, sheet flooring and the mastic beneath it
- Ceiling tiles and textured or sprayed ceiling coatings
- Drywall joint compound and some plasters
- Asbestos cement board, panels and pipe
- Gaskets, seals and packing in mechanical equipment
- Roofing felts, membranes and flashing compounds
Age and appearance are not a test. Only a survey and laboratory analysis confirm what a material actually is.
How Ontario classifies the work
O. Reg. 278/05 — Designated Substance — Asbestos on Construction Projects and in Buildings and Repair Operations, made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act — sorts asbestos work into three types according to the risk of fibre release. Section 12 sets out the classification.
- Type 1 — lower-risk work, such as removing a small area of ceiling tile without cutting it, or handling non-friable material with hand tools while it is wetted
- Type 2 — moderate-risk work, including removing one square metre or less of friable material, enclosing friable material, glove-bag work, and using power tools fitted to HEPA-filtered dust collection
- Type 3 — higher-risk work, including removing more than one square metre of friable material, spray-applying sealant to friable material, and using power tools without dust collection
Which type applies drives the notice, the controls and the sequence, so it is settled at assessment rather than on site. The regulation does not apply to private residences or to buildings containing four or fewer dwelling units — it is a commercial and industrial framework.
What the building owner has to have in hand
This is the part that most often holds up a quote. Under section 10 of the regulation, before an owner requests tenders for demolition, alteration or repair work, the owner must arrange for the material to be examined, must prepare a written report describing the material, its condition and where it is, and must give that report to prospective contractors.
In practice that means the survey is the owner's to commission, and it should exist before the job goes out to bid. Section 8 also requires the owner of certain buildings to keep an asbestos record for the building and to tell occupiers and contractors where the material is.
If material nobody knew about turns up mid-job, section 10 requires the constructor or employer to notify the Ministry inspector, the owner, the contractor and the joint health and safety committee straight away. Work in that area stops until it is sorted.
Planning, containment and the work area
The scope of the controls follows the type of operation. In general terms that means the work area is separated from the rest of the building and access to it is controlled, material is kept wet where wetting is appropriate, and waste is collected in dust-tight containers that are labelled as asbestos waste and cleaned before they leave the area. Polyethylene sheeting and drop sheets used as barriers are not reused.
Notice to the Ministry of Labour is required before Type 3 work begins, and for Type 2 work where a square metre or more of insulation is being removed. That notice is a scheduling item, not a formality — it belongs in the programme.
What happens before demolition or renovation resumes
For Type 3 work carried out inside a building, the regulation requires clearance air testing before the enclosure comes down — with an exception where the building is being demolished and will only be entered by the workers doing the demolition. Results have to be posted within 24 hours.
Once the area is released, the rest of the work follows on: interior demolition or commercial demolition, then drywall and framing and interior fit-out or interior build-out. Our own guide, asbestos in commercial buildings built before 1990, covers the background in more depth.
What we need to price it
- The designated substance survey or asbestos report for the building
- Drawings or a scope of work for the demolition or renovation the abatement clears the way for
- The building's access hours, occupancy and any shutdown windows
- Where the affected areas are, and what has to keep operating around them
- A site walk
If the survey has not been done yet, say so — it changes the sequence, not whether we can help.
How an abatement scope runs
Review
we read the survey and the project scope, and confirm what has to be dealt with, where, and how it affects the programme.
Quote
a written scope and price covering the abatement, the controls, access hours and disposal, and how it sequences with the rest of the work.
Notice and set-up
required notice given, work area prepared and separated, access controlled before anything is disturbed.
Removal
material removed and containerised, with the controls the classification calls for.
Clear and hand over
area released and the following trades brought in, so the project picks up where the schedule expects it.
Asbestos abatement questions
When does asbestos abatement need to happen before demolition?
Whenever a survey identifies asbestos-containing material in an area that demolition or renovation will disturb. The material is dealt with first, the area is released, and the demolition follows. Sequencing it any other way is what causes delays.
What information do you need to quote abatement?
The building's designated substance survey or asbestos report, the scope of the demolition or renovation it relates to, the building's access hours and occupancy, and a site walk. The survey is the key document.
We do not have a survey yet. What now?
Under Ontario Regulation 278/05 the owner arranges for the material to be examined and prepares a written report before tendering demolition, alteration or repair work, then gives that report to prospective contractors. If it does not exist yet, that is the first step and it changes the sequence rather than the outcome.
Can abatement be coordinated with interior demolition?
Yes, and it usually should be. Running abatement and demolition under one contract means the handover between them is a scheduling decision rather than a gap between two companies' availability.
What happens after the abatement is finished?
For Type 3 work inside a building, the regulation requires clearance air testing before the enclosure is removed, unless the building is being demolished and only demolition workers will enter it. Once the area is released, the following trades move in.
What is the difference between Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 work?
It is a classification in section 12 of Ontario Regulation 278/05 based on how likely the work is to release fibres — from lower-risk handling of non-friable material, through moderate-risk work such as glove-bag removal, to higher-risk work such as removing more than a square metre of friable material. The type drives the notice and the controls required.
Does the Ministry of Labour need to be notified?
The regulation requires notice before Type 3 work begins, and for Type 2 work where a square metre or more of insulation is being removed. It is a scheduling item worth allowing for.
Can the building stay in use during the work?
Often, in part. The work area is separated from the rest of the building and access controlled, so adjacent areas can usually keep operating — but what is workable depends on the material, the classification and the building itself, and that gets settled at assessment.
Can this be part of a larger renovation contract?
Yes. Most of our abatement work sits inside a demolition or renovation project rather than standing alone, which is the point — one contract, one schedule, one project manager.
What areas do you cover?
Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Etobicoke, Oakville, Markham and the surrounding GTA.
Regulatory references on this page are drawn from Ontario Regulation 278/05 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This is general information for planning purposes, not legal or compliance advice — confirm requirements for your project against the current regulation.
Send the survey. We'll price the abatement.
- (647) 963-4310
- info@sofisa.ca
- Sofisa Group Inc. · 600 Matheson Blvd W, Unit 5, Mississauga