December 4, 2025
Manitoba Government Improves Asbestos Safety Requirements to Protect Workers
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The Manitoba government is introducing stronger rules to protect workers from asbestos, a known cancer-causing material and the leading cause of occupational death in the province, Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino announced today.
“The safety of Manitobans is always our top priority, and they told us they wanted clearer rules and stronger protections for asbestos work – we listened,” said Marcelino. “These updates will help keep workers safe by ensuring asbestos work is done by trained, certified professionals and with clear responsibilities for employers and building owners.”
Asbestos is commonly found in older building materials and becomes hazardous when it is disturbed and released into the air. Manitoba’s current regulations set basic requirements for training, inventories and safety measures.
The new amendments go further by clarifying responsibilities, improving training and strengthening enforcement efforts by:
- ensuring anyone performing asbestos work has proper training and certification,
- requiring employers who do asbestos work to register so Manitobans can easily see who is qualified,
- setting clearer responsibilities for employers and building owners, and
- giving safety officers the tools to verify asbestos work is being done safely.
“Having stronger protection against asbestos is literally a life-and-death issue for the Manitobans whose work brings them into contact with it,” said Kevin Rebeck, president, Manitoba Federation of Labour. “Asbestos is Manitoba’s number one occupational killer and far too many lives have been cut short by this dangerous substance. Thank you to the Manitoba government for taking action to make workplaces safer for the workers who help to build our province.”
Workers, employers and safety experts advised on these changes through the Workplace Safety and Health Review Committee, which reached consensus that the rules needed to be clearer and stronger.
“Asbestos safety is critically important in Manitoba,” said Dave Kramer, vice president, SAFE Work Manitoba, a division of the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba. “We support the province by ensuring workers and employers have access to high-quality training opportunities, including those offered through the SAFE Work Manitoba Training Portal. Courses and training that meet an established Manitoba training standard are SAFE Work endorsed, giving workers and employers confidence that training is credible and consistent.”
A phased transition period will give workers, employers and training providers time to prepare for the new requirements. Most amendments take effect on the day the regulation is registered, with certification and employer registration requirements taking effect on June 1, 2027, the minister noted.
More information about the regulations, training and certification requirements is available at https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/regs/annual/2025/108.php?lang=en.
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