:: EACO - Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario

A Message from Steven D. Fulford, President:

"Welcome to the Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario's (EACO's) website and thank you for visiting. Since the inception of this organization over 15 years ago, EACO has strived to make the hazardous materials abatement industry a safer and better industry to work in. Our partnerships with the Toronto Construction Association and the Ontario Ministry of Labour have enabled EACO to be at the forefront of this exciting and rapidly changing industry.

Over the past several years, EACO has been involved with a number of industry changing initiatives including:

Our report on respiratory protection for abatement workers led to an almost immediate increase in safety to the workers in the field, with the Ministry of Labour issuance of a respiratory advisory and ultimately to new asbestos legislation in the Province of Ontario;

Our Mould Abatement Guideline which was developed in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Labour as a "code of practice" and now provides the much needed "teeth" for the Ministry to act upon situations where mould is encountered in a workplace; and

Most recently and in less than a year, EACO's administration of over 85% of the asbestos abatement worker and supervisor testing in the province, has enabled our member companies to comply with the new training requirements for asbestos workers and supervisors.

As we enter 2008 we anticipate an extremely busy year for all of our members. The requirements of the new asbestos regulation continue to infiltrate many different market segments. All of the consultants, contractors and suppliers are hoping for another great year.

In 2008, we are looking at several new initiatives in our industry. We've recently established a new lead committee that will work with the Ontario Ministry of Labour on the identification of lead hazards on construction projects and the safe removal of lead on construction. We've also established a separate contractors committee to deal with contractor-specific issues. We're re-convening the mould committee to review the current science in the mould industry and update the Mould Remediation Guideline to include the new requirement of the asbestos regulation and other hazards.

EACO members should be proud to belong to a strong organization with influence and commitment to make this industry better.

I would like to thank past president Dr. Don Pinchin, who worked tirelessly over the past 5 years with EACO and all of the commitments to make this organization as strong as it is today. Special thanks and acknowledgement are also extended to Ms. Mary Thorburn for her hard work and dedication. Without her energy and perseverance, this organization simply would not exist. The members of EACO have benefitted from our partnership with the TCA and all of the commitment that Mary and her team bring to this organization.

As the newly elected president of the organization I realize that EACO is not just a Toronto-based organization, we are Ontario-wide and I will make it a priority to work with the regional construction associations and other industry groups to expand the organization into several regions and sectors."

About EACO

The Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario (EACO) is a contractor based organization formed by professionals within the environmental abatement industry.

Our members represent our industry as a whole including contractors, consultants, engineers, suppliers, government officials and others that have an interest in the environmental abatement industry.

If you are looking for a qualified list of Abatement Contractors and/or Environmental Consultants for your upcoming projects for Asbestos, Mould, Lead or any other Environmental projects, all EACO members carry Environmental and Pollution Insurance Coverage.

EACO provides important input to the Ontario Ministry of Labour on Environmental Abatement matters and Guidelines.

DISCLAIMER: (EACO) Environmental Abatement Council of Ontario disclaims any liability or risk resulting from the use of work practices and recommendations discussed in guidelines or any other area of this website. It is the user's responsibility to ensure that they are in compliance with federal, provincial and local regulations that may be applicable.