July 11th, 2007

Employees at the City of Kingston and Utilities Kingston have been advised that during the renovation of the 1211 John Counter Boulevard building, asbestos was discovered in a construction area. Parts of the ceiling had been removed before the contractors realized that asbestos was present according to reports.

Following the discovery, air quality tests were performed, and according to officials these were way lower that the government levels that have been deemed as safe, and therefore officials are stating that there is no risk from asbestos contamination to staff.

Jim Keech, President and CEO of Utilities Kingston, stated: “Tests show there is now no danger to our staff. We have informed our employees about the current situation and we will continue to monitor and provide updates as soon as we receive information.”

Officials also added that members of the public that may have visited the building were in no danger. A clean-up is to be arranged once the Ministry of Labor has issued the required approval.