Who handles used rags and waste after a coating job in Ontario?

Who handles used rags and waste should be written into your contract with the floor contractor, and Ontario law places duties on both the contractor and the business owner.

Under the Ontario Fire Code (O. Reg. 213/07), section 4.1.5.4.(2), used rags contaminated with flammable or combustible liquids shall be placed in proper receptacles. Whether a product's rags fall under that rule depends on the product's flash point, which appears in Section 9 of its safety data sheet. Ask the contractor for the SDS for every product being applied, and ask them how they will store and remove contaminated rags and waste containers during the job.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act also applies. Under OHSA section 38(1.1), the employer shall make a copy of a safety data sheet readily available to workers who may be exposed. If any of your own staff will be in or near the work area during the job, ask the contractor for the SDS for each product before work begins. Section 2 of each SDS sets out the hazard information, including whether a product is a skin or respiratory sensitiser.

For waste disposal beyond the job site, the contractor should be able to tell you how they dispose of empty containers, mixed waste and contaminated materials under Ontario's environmental rules. That is outside this site's scope, but it is a fair question to put in writing before work starts.

Before the contractor leaves the site, ask for copies of the product data sheets and safety data sheets for every product used, and any written warranty the contractor is providing. Keep the signed contract, the before-and-after photos, and all of those documents together: they are the record of what was installed, under what conditions, and by whom.