Asbestos Awareness Training

ASBESTOS AWARENESS TRAINING
NC Office of State Personnel

OSHA Asbestos Regulations For General Industry Custodians and For Construction Industry O&M Workers--Workers Who Contact But Do Not Disturb Asbestos

click for:
Glossary
Introduction
Asbestos
Risks to Health
OSHA Industry General Regulations
OSHA Construction Regulations

Glossary
ACM: Material that contains asbestos

HEPA Filter: High Efficiency Particulate Air filter

P.E.L.: The Permissible Exposure Limit for asbestos enforced by OSHA

O&M: Operation & Maintenance

OSHA: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Wet Methods: Use of damp cloths, mops, and other wet procedures to remove asbestos-containing dust and debris from surfaces

If you need more information about asbestos call OSHA at 1-800-LABOR-NC

Introduction

This pamphlet has been prepared to help you carry out custodial and O&M procedures designed for buildings that contain asbestos.

If you follow the procedures in this pamphlet, you will manage to:

Protect the health of the people who occupy the building
Protect your own health
Keep the concentration of asbestos fibers in the air below the P.E.L.

If there is asbestos in the building in which you work, your supervisor must give you instructions about:

Health risks associated with asbestos
How to minimize the release of asbestos fibers into the air
The best cleaning methods to use and how to otherwise handle material that contains asbestos. For example: wet methods, use of HEPA vacuums, and prompt disposal of wastes.
The location of ACM in your workplace
How to avoid removing or disturbing asbestos-containing material
Smoking. Smoking is prohibited in work areas where asbestos is disturbed.
How to notify your supervisor of deterioration or delamination of ACM on ceilings, walls, floors and insulation

Asbestos

Asbestos is a natural mineral extracted from the earth. It’s basically a rock. The three common forms of asbestos are: chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite.

Asbestos is a really extraordinary material. Owing to its strength and its resistance to heat and fire, it has been used extensively in construction as an insulator, in flooring, and for fire proofing, as well as for its acoustical and decorative properties.

The major use is for fireproofing.

Recognition of Materials that contain Asbestos

The types of materials that may contain asbestos include:

1. Soft material sprayed-on or troweled-on ceilings and walls--acoustical, incombustible, decorative
2. Material sprayed on surfaces above the ceiling or behind the walls--incombustible
3. Fire proofing on beams and pipelines
4. Insulation on pipelines
5. Flooring material
6. Acoustical tiles on ceilings and walls to control noise

Risks to Health

Unfortunately, asbestos is a hazardous material. As it ages and deteriorates, small disturbances can cause fibers to be released into the air. In this form, the fibers become a potential health risk. They can be so small that one cannot see them with the naked eye but they are readily inhaled. If they get inside the lungs they can cause serious illness.

The inhalation of the fibers has been associated with:

Asbestosis--a serious illness of the lungs. It is incurable.
Cancer of the lungs. Inhaling cigarette smoke in combination with asbestos makes the risk greater.
Mesothelioma--a cancer of the interior walls of the lung or of the abdomen. It is 100% fatal but is very rare.

The concentration of asbestos released to the air is much less when asbestos is contacted than when asbestos is disturbed. It is important to use all means to reduce exposure to asbestos fibers to a minimum by following the appropriate work practices.

OSHA General Industry Regulations
29 CFR 1910.1001(k)

(k)(1) All surfaces shall be maintained as free as practicable of ACM waste and debris and accompanying dust.

(k)(2) All spills and sudden releases of material containing asbestos shall be cleaned up as soon as possible.

(k)(3) Surfaces contaminated with asbestos may not be cleaned by the use of compressed air.

(k)(4) Vacuuming. HEPA-filtered vacuuming equipment shall be used for vacuuming asbestos containing waste and debris. The equipment shall be used and emptied in a manner which minimizes the reentry of asbestos into the workplace.

(k)(5) Shoveling, dry sweeping and dry clean-up of asbestos may be used only where vacuuming and/or wet cleaning are not feasible.

(k)(6) Waste disposal. Waste, scrap, debris, bags, containers, equipment, and clothing contaminated with asbestos consigned for disposal shall be collected, recycled and disposed of in sealed impermeable bags, or other closed impermeable containers.

(k)(7) Care of asbestos-containing flooring material.

(i) Sanding of asbestos-containing floor material is prohibited.
(ii) Stripping of finishes shall be conducted using low abrasion pads at speeds lower than 300 rpm and wet methods.
(iii) Burnishing or dry buffing may be performed only on asbestos-containing flooring which has sufficient finish so that the pad cannot contact the asbestos-containing material.

(k)(8) Waste and debris and accompanying dust in an area containing accessible thermal system insulation (TSI) or surfacing material (SM) or visibly deteriorated ACM, shall not be dusted or swept dry, or vacuumed without using a HEPA filter.

OSHA Construction Regulations
29 CFR 1926.1101(l)

(l)(1) Vacuuming. When vacuum-ing methods are selected, HEPA filters must be used. The equipment shall be used and emptied in a manner that minimizes the reentry of asbestos into the workplace.

(l)(2) Waste disposal. Asbestos waste, scrap, debris, bags, containers, equipment, and contaminated clothing consigned for disposal shall be collected and disposed of in sealed, labeled, impermeable bags or other closed , labeled, impermeable containers.

(l)(3) Care of asbestos-containing flooring materials:

(i) All vinyl and asphalt flooring material shall be maintained in accordance with this paragraph unless the building/facility owner demonstrates, pursuant to paragraph (g)(8)(i)(1) of this section that the flooring does not contain asbestos.
(ii) Sanding of flooring is prohibited.
(iii) Stripping of finishes shall be conducted using low abrasion pads
at speeds lower than 300 rpm and wet methods.
(iv) Burnishing or dry buffing may be performed only on flooring which has sufficient finish so that
the pad cannot contact the
flooring material.

(l)(4) Waste and debris and accompanying dust in an area containing accessible TSI or SM ACM/PACM or visibly deteriorated ACM:

(i) Shall not be dusted or swept dry, or vacuumed without using a HEPA filter.
(ii) Shall be promptly cleaned up and disposed of in leak tight containers.