Designated Substance Survey (DSS)

Designated Substance Survey


Asbestos - Lead - Silica - Mercury


Ben Engineering provides Designated Substance Surveys to comply with Section 30 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) and Ontario Regulation 490/09. Under these legislations, designated substances and other hazardous building materials must be identified, removed, handled and disposed in a specific manner for the protection and the safety of workers and occupants of a building.

Such studies may be necessary prior to demolition, construction, renovation and repair projects. It is primarily required for buildings constructed prior to the early-1980s, when many of construction materials used contained these substances, and therefore are more likely to be found.

Designated Substances are regulated in Ontario under O. Reg. 490/09 and a list of substances materials, which are deemed to be toxic. The most common of which in residential and other types of buildings include:

  • Asbestos - Can be found in numerous building materials; however, more common in pipe and building insulation, floor tiles, joint compounds, wall panels, and gaskets.
  • Lead - typically exist in paint and piping
  • Silica Arsenic - common in masonry elements such as bricks, blocks and mortar.
  • Mercury - typically found in electrical equipment such as switches, lighting ballast and thermostats.

Other substances listed in O. Reg. 490/09 include:

  • Benzene
  • Acrylonitrile
  • Coke Oven Emissions
  • Isocyanates
  • Ethylene Oxide
  • Vinyl Chloride

In addition, there are other materials or conditions what are considered as hazardous. These primarily include:

  • Mould
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
  • Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI)

Additional specific regulation for asbestos is the O. Reg. 278/05: Designated Substance - Asbestos on Construction Projects and in Buildings and Repair Operations.

A typical Designated Substances Survey would consist of a site inspection, collecting of bulk samples and submittal for laboratory analysis.

Contact Us

Designated Substance Survey

Designated Substance Survey

Designated Substance Survey

Service Areas

Greater Toronto Area (GTA) | Ajax | Barrie | Brampton | Burlington | Cambridge | Cornwall | Durham Region | Guelph | Hamilton | Kitchener | London | Markham | Midland | Milton | Mississauga | Niagara Falls| Newmarket | Oakville | Orillia | Oshawa | Ottawa | Parry Sound | Peel Region | Peterborough | Pickering | Richmond Hill | Simcoe | Thornhill | Toronto | Vaughan | Waterloo | Welland | Whitby | Windsor | Woodstock | York Region

Vancouver | Burnaby | Richmond | New Westminister | Surrey | Coquitlam | Langleyn | Abbotsford | Maple Ridge | Victoria | Nanaimo