Surrey drywall company operator fined for knowingly exposing workers to asbestos

The operator of a now-defunct drywall company in Surrey who knowingly exposed more than a dozen workers to asbestos-containing material has been fined and issued a ban under the Workers Compensation Act.

According to WorkSafeBC, Vivesh Kochher defied a stop-work order in 2019, which was issued after asbestos was detected at one AVR Drywall Recycling Ltd.’s worksites.

“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,” reads a statement from WorkSafeBC.

He was charged in November, 2021 and pleaded guilty in March, 2022.

(Credit: Facebook/AVR Drywall Recycling)

Kochher had brought in a third-party contractor on Remembrance Day while the stop-work order was in place to remove the asbestos-containing material and equipment, WorkSafeBC says.

“The Crown submission stated that, ‘[i]t should be inferred that the date was chosen by Mr. Kochher because it provided him with a lower likelihood of detection.'”

Kochher did not tell that third-party contractor or its workers about the stop-work order or that asbestos had been detected at the worksite. Those workers were not given any personal protective equipment.

The operator was handed a $20,000 fine, plus a victim charge. He is also banned for three years from owning or operating a waste transfer facility or any other businesses that involves the management, handling, or disposal of asbestos-containing material.

Kochher has since voluntarily dissolved his company.

“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.”