BC motel fined $40,000 after giving WorkSafeBC fake documents

A BC motel that gave WorkSafeBC a fake letter saying all its asbestos had been removed has been fined $40,000.

According to a Nov. 4 WorkSafeBC penalty notice, the motel in Hope gave the provincial safety inspector a letter indicating that all its asbestos-containing materials had been safely removed following a renovation.

However, WorKSafeBC discovered that the letter was a fake.

“The firm knowingly provided a WorkSafeBC officer with false information,” the penalty notice read.

The notice listed a numbered company, 1357640 B.C., as the owner of the Mount Hope Motel.

An Aug. 22 WorkSafeBC Inspection report said the unnamed owner is the employer, the owner and the prime contractor of the project to renovate the 1940s-era motel.

The report said when the motel called the two companies listed on the paperwork, they both advised the letter was not authentic.

The motel owner also gave WorkSafeBC cheques that it had issued to the two asbestos abatement companies claiming they had fully paid.

“(The motel owner) reported they are being targeted/extorted by a closely connected abatement industry and were set up with the fraudulent documents,” the report read.

One of the abatement companies said it hadn’t had its final payment from the motel, so it hadn’t issued the clearance report.

“It again, stated the paperwork provided by the employer was not legitimate,” the report read.

“To date, this worksite has had a great number of health and safety issues with the renovation work (the motel) is trying to complete,” the report read.

The other abatement company said it had been issued a cheque, but the cheque was refused by the bank, so it hadn’t issued a clearance report.

The fine is the fifth the motel has received in a little more than a year.

In September 2024, WorkSafeBC issued a stop-work order and issued a $2,500 fine after finding that materials containing asbestos had been disturbed during renovation work.

“During a follow-up inspection, representatives of the firm stated they did not know how or where the asbestos-containing materials from the site had been disposed of. This statement was later determined to be false,” a Sept. 24, 2024, penal notice read.

The firm failed to adhere to the stop work order and got fined another $2,500.

Months later, in January, WorkSafeBC visited again and found workers in areas where asbestos removal had recently been done, but the firm hadn’t received clearance that it had been safely removed.

“The firm failed to ensure that, before starting renovation work, it safely contained or removed hazardous materials. The firm also failed to ensure it had written confirmation that hazardous materials had been safely contained or removed and had made it available at the worksite,” WorkSafeBC said in the January penalty notice.

It also issued a $5,000 fine.

WorkSafeBC were back at the site again in October and found workers on site, but the firm still hadn’t gotten clearance that all asbestos-containing materials had been safely removed.

“The firm also failed to ensure it had written confirmation that hazardous materials had been safely contained or removed and had made it available at the worksite,” the October penalty notice said.

The motel was issued another $5,000 fine and told to get the proper clearance.

However, a month later, he handed in a fake letter saying all the asbestos issues had been dealt with correctly.

In total, WorkSafeBC has fined the motel $60,000 in the last 15 months.