Certifications and insurance

Most contractors say “licensed, bonded and insured” and leave it there. Those three words mean different things and two of them are routinely misused, so here is exactly what sits behind each one for Aden Integrated Services Ltd. Current certificates go out with every quote and are available on request at any time.

Licence

City of Calgary business licence BL306638, issued to Aden Integrated Services Ltd. That is a municipal business licence. Alberta does not issue a separate provincial “asbestos contractor” licence, so nobody in this province holds one — if a contractor tells you they are a licensed asbestos contractor, ask them who issued it.

Insurance

• Commercial general liability — $5,000,000 each occurrence, with products and completed operations and personal injury at the same limit
• Contractors pollution liability — $5,000,000 per claim, written on a claims-made basis, with asbestos and microbial matter included rather than excluded
• Tenant’s legal liability — $2,000,000
• Non-owned auto — $5,000,000, plus hired auto physical damage cover

The pollution cover is the one that matters and the one most general liability policies quietly exclude for this trade. A standard CGL commonly carries an asbestos exclusion; ours is backed by a separate contractors pollution policy that names asbestos and mould. Ask any abatement contractor for their pollution liability limit specifically — not their general liability — and watch what happens.

Certificates naming a client as additional insured, primary and non-contributory, with waiver of subrogation and 30 days notice of cancellation, are normally issued the same day by our broker.

WCB

Registered with the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta under the asbestos and mould remediation industry classification, with personal coverage carried on the director. A clearance letter is available on request, and you should ask for one from any contractor you hire — if a worker is hurt on your property and the contractor has no coverage, that becomes your problem.

Bonding — what it is and what it is not

We carry a $25,000 surety bond. It is consumer-protection security under Alberta’s prepaid contracting rules, which protects a homeowner who has paid a deposit. It is not construction performance bonding. Those are different instruments and a lot of contractors blur the line. If a project needs performance and labour and material payment bonds, ask us and we will give you a straight answer rather than a hopeful one.

Training and certification

• Alberta asbestos worker certification — the two-day course and exam required for restricted-area work, entered in the provincial system
• Quantitative fit test (QNFT) on a full facepiece respirator. Quantitative testing on a full facepiece gives an assigned protection factor of 100, against the 10 a qualitative test supports — worth asking about, because most contractors test qualitatively
• Confined space entry and monitor — attic and crawl space abatement is confined space work under Alberta OHS, which means an entry permit and a tending worker at the hatch, never one person alone
• Fall protection
• Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) — required to haul the waste ourselves rather than subcontracting it blind
• Intermediate first aid with Level C CPR and AED
• Principles of Health and Safety Management and Leadership for Safety Excellence, both through the Alberta Construction Safety Association

Health and safety program

We run a written health and safety program built against the eight audit elements the Alberta Construction Safety Association uses, including a written asbestos Code of Practice, safe work procedures for each material we remove, an air monitoring plan, hazard assessment forms completed on site, and DOP and HEPA filter test records for the equipment. This is the documentation a general contractor’s specification asks for before abatement is allowed to start, and we have it before you ask.

Memberships and accreditation

Accredited Business with the Better Business Bureau. Member of the Alberta Construction Safety Association.

Ask us for the paperwork

Every quote goes out with the insurance certificate and the WCB clearance letter. Anything else — worker cards, fit test records, DOP results, the Code of Practice — is a phone call away. Request the documents or call (403) 477-2281.

Frequently asked questions

Is there such a thing as a licensed asbestos contractor in Alberta?

No. Alberta does not issue a trade licence specific to asbestos abatement. What exists is a municipal business licence, worker certification for the people doing the work, and the OHS Code requirements for how the work is carried out. Any contractor claiming to hold a provincial asbestos licence is describing something that does not exist.

Why does contractors pollution liability matter?

Because a standard commercial general liability policy commonly excludes asbestos, which means that on the job you are hiring for, the contractor's main insurance may not respond at all. Contractors pollution liability is the policy that covers a fibre release. Ask for that limit specifically.

Can I get a WCB clearance letter?

Yes, on request, and you should ask every contractor for one. Without coverage in place, an injury on your property can become your liability.

Are you COR certified?

Ask us directly and we will give you a straight answer for your project. We run a written health and safety program built against the eight ACSA audit elements, with a Code of Practice, safe work procedures, hazard assessments and equipment test records, and we can produce all of it as submittals.

What is the difference between your bond and a performance bond?

Our $25,000 surety bond is consumer-protection security under Alberta's prepaid contracting rules and protects a homeowner's deposit. A performance bond guarantees completion of a construction contract and is a separate instrument with its own underwriting. They are not interchangeable and we do not present one as the other.