|
|
TITLE: |
||
|
|
|||
|
DOCUMENT ID: |
6681 Asbestos Management |
||
|
|
|||
1.0
Introduction
Asbestos is a broad term for several naturally-occurring mineral
fibers. It has a number of desirable
properties: strength,
heat/chemical-resistance, and economy, for example. Because of these properties, asbestos was
used in hundreds of different applications by many different manufacturers over
the last 100 years or so. For most of
the past century, it was virtually unheard of to construct a building, insulate
high-temperature thermal systems, or fabricate friction products without the
use of asbestos. It was viewed as a
miracle material, and it was often required by codes and standards.
Airborne
asbestos fibers, when inhaled, can cause serious disease. Many people who fabricated and installed asbestos-containing
materials (ACM) died from occupational illnesses linked to their exposure to
asbestos. These diseases include
asbestosis (a chronic condition involving lung scarring), lung cancer, and
mesothelioma (a cancer of the membrane that lines the chest and abdomen). Because of the hazards, Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) regulations now prohibit the manufacture and sale of
most asbestos products. Exceptions
include a few specialty products for which no suitable substitute material has
been found.
Asbestos’ disease-causing potential is directly related to its
characteristic of splitting along the fiber axis into
very thin, respirable-size fibers. Respirable
fibers are those that can elude the protective mechanisms in the upper
respiratory tract and can penetrate deeply into the lungs.
Once there, they
resist the body’s attempts to dissolve or remove them, causing irritation or
cellular damage that may lead to the onset of disease. The majority of respirable fibers are less
than 20 microns (20 millionths of a meter) long, and they are invisible to the
naked eye.
The absence or
presence of visible dust is not a useful indicator of airborne asbestos levels.
Undamaged, asbestos in-place, whether a building
product or a component of some piece of equipment, poses little risk. However, disturbing
asbestos materials, especially friable
asbestos, without proper controls may
lead to the release of airborne fibers.
The main objective of the stringent Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)/EPA regulations for
asbestos and Jefferson Lab’s Asbestos Management Program is to minimize both
environmental release and worker exposure to additional asbestos fibers. Note additional. There is no such thing as zero
exposure. Because asbestos was used for
so many years, and so many asbestos materials have been subjected to wear and
tear, uncontrolled demolition, and indiscriminate disposal, there is a certain
level of asbestos fibers in the air we breathe daily. It has become an ever-present air pollutant.
Asbestos
removal and repair is a heavily regulated activity. There are multiple federal, state, and
sometimes local regulations that apply to asbestos work. The nature of the work, amount of material
involved, and the type or purpose of the structure determines which set of
rules and laws apply.
Any work at
Jefferson Lab that may damage the remaining asbestos building materials will
proceed only after a qualified asbestos-abatement service has removed or
protected the material.
2.0
Hazard Avoidance
·
Never intentionally
damage materials that are known or suspected to be asbestos-containing. Do not drill,
abrade, or break ACM of any kind. Heed
warning signs posted on ACM in and around your workplace.
·
Report accidental ACM
damage promptly to your ESH&Q staff or to the Jefferson Lab Asbestos
Program Manager (ext. 7531).
· Do not attempt to clean up damaged ACM yourself. A conventional vacuum cleaner will spew respirable fibers through its filter into the air. You may gently mist dislodged fragments with water and/or cover damaged materials with polyethylene sheeting while you await proper cleanup by trained personnel.
·
Do not dispose of any
suspected ACM as
ordinary trash; it must be handled as a special waste, much like
hazardous waste. Contact your ESH&Q
staff or the Jefferson Lab Hazardous Waste Coordinator for assistance.
·
Avoid procuring or bringing
onto the site any product known to contain asbestos. Be especially cautious when procuring surplus
or used equipment that may have been made before present-day awareness of
asbestos hazards. Some products that
often had asbestos components:
|
- laboratory fume hoods |
- heated cabinets for welding rods |
|
- industrial and laboratory ovens |
- sheet and rope-type gasketing |
|
- heat shields |
- lab workbench tops |
|
- high-temperature insulation on wiring |
- fire-resistant safes and file cabinets |
·
There is a widely-held
misconception that ACMs are no longer available. Quite the contrary. While most manufacturers of materials that
once contained asbestos have substituted other materials, many products may
still use asbestos.
· If you have an unavoidable need for a piece of equipment or apparatus that has an asbestos component (a heat shield, for example), and there is no acceptable substitute, consult first with ESH&Q Division staff or the Jefferson Lab Asbestos Program Manager. Ensure the equipment is suitably labeled to alert others to the potential hazard of disturbing the asbestos component.
|
Prohibited ACM Products |
|
Authorized
ACM Products |
|
|
Corrugated paper |
|
Asbestos clothing |
Friction Materials |
|
Commercial paper |
|
Roofing felt |
Brake linings |
|
Flooring felt |
|
Roof coating |
Clutch facing |
|
Roll board |
|
Non-roof coatings |
Disc brake pads |
|
Specialty paper |
|
Millboard |
Corrugated asbestos cement sheet |
|
New uses of asbestos |
|
Pipeline wrap |
Flat asbestos cement sheet |
|
|
|
Valve packings |
Vinyl asbestos floor tile |
|
|
|
Sealant tape |
Asbestos cement pipes |
|
|
|
Brake blocks |
Asbestos cement shingles |
|
|
|
Battery separators |
Acetylene cylinder filler |
|
|
|
Reinforced plastic |
High-grade electrical paper |
|
|
|
Textile products |
Automatic transmission components |
|
|
|
Gaskets |
Asbestos diaphragms |
·
If you suspect you have had
significant exposure to asbestos dust in your work career, avoiding smoking is
very important. There is a strong
synergistic relationship between asbestos exposure, smoking, and the likelihood
of lung cancer. You should inform your
physician about this exposure.
3.0
Jefferson
Lab’s Known Asbestos Materials
Jefferson Lab
has no known friable ACM. There are a number of non-friable Asbestos
Containing Building Materials (ACBM)
components and structures in or around older buildings that pre-date the
present use of the site. All materials
are in good condition.
Table
1: Known ACBM at
Jefferson Lab
|
Test Lab (Bldg. 58) |
||
|
Type of ACM |
Location |
Description |
|
Miscellaneous |
Within and adjacent to Test Cave |
Round, asbestos-cement ducts in walls. These range in size from about one foot to
several feet in diameter, and are presently used for ventilation shafts and
conduits for cable and waveguides |
|
High roof: low structure at east end |
Corrugated asbestos-cement siding panels |
|
|
Exterior wall, ground level at east end |
Corrugated asbestos-cement siding panels |
|
|
Miscellaneous (roofing) |
Inner surface of the high-roof parapet walls |
Thick, asbestos-felt board |
|
Forestry Building (Bldg. 19) |
||
|
Type of ACM |
Location |
Description |
|
Miscellaneous |
Exterior walls |
Asbestos-cement panels beneath the windows |
|
VARC (Bldg. 28) |
||
|
Type of ACM |
Location |
Description |
|
Miscellaneous |
Various rooms throughout the building |
12x12-inch vinyl-asbestos floor tile (some concealed
beneath carpet) |
4.0
Responsibilities
4.1
Everyone
at Jefferson Lab
·
Avoid disturbing ACM. Report accidental damage promptly to
ESH&Q staff or the Asbestos Program Manager (x7531).
·
Avoid introducing any new ACM
onto the Jefferson Lab site.
·
Alert the Asbestos
Program Manager if you encounter suspected, unidentified ACM at Jefferson Lab.
4.2
Asbestos
Program Manager
·
Maintain the Jefferson Lab
Asbestos Management Program and all related documentation. This includes asbestos inspection and
condition-assessment information, abatement project records, and air monitoring
associated with asbestos actions.
·
Conduct surveillance
inspections at least every 6-months of all known ACM on site. Note any changes to condition or potential
for damage. Document this surveillance
in the Asbestos Program.
·
Coordinate with Facilities
Management any needed emergency services by asbestos abatement contractors.
·
Develop special operations
and maintenance (O&M) procedures as required to minimize the risk that
routine maintenance activities will disturb ACM.
·
Respond to reported incidents
of damage to ACM. Conduct assessment of
conditions (to include air sampling as required) to ensure safety of building
occupants.
·
Coordinate with Facilities
Management special specifications for any renovation or demolition of ACM. Review qualifications of asbestos abatement
contractors.
·
Coordinate with the Jefferson
Lab Hazardous Waste Coordinator the disposal of any asbestos waste.
·
Ensure occupants of
buildings with known or suspected ACM are informed of that fact and of key
elements of the O&M Plan. Include safety
wardens and/or building managers in such notifications.
4.3
ESH&Q
Staff
·
Respond to calls from
building occupants concerning damaged ACM.
Contact Asbestos Program Manager for action or assessment of conditions.
4.4
Facilities
Management Director
·
Maintain current asbestos
locations and cautionary notations in building drawings used for construction
and renovation design.
·
Incorporate appropriate
measures into maintenance activities and project design/specifications to avoid
inadvertent damage to ACM. If
disturbance is unavoidable, properly address asbestos abatement as part of the
overall project in coordination with the Asbestos Program Manager.
·
Provide qualified
subcontractor services for asbestos abatement actions.
·
Ensure bid documents
include notations of known ACM that could be affected by work activity.
5.0
Program
Summary
5.1
Managing Asbestos In Place
In 1992 Jefferson
Lab contracted for a comprehensive asbestos inspection to identify and assess
the condition of any ACM on site. Prior
to that inspection, selected areas of concern and materials had been inspected,
and all known friable materials had been removed through abatement actions.
Jefferson Lab
also contracted for a management plan to ensure the remaining non-friable ACM
remains in a safe condition. This is
accomplished primarily through a program of regular surveillance of the
remaining materials by the Asbestos Program Manager, employee awareness, and by
avoiding uncontrolled disturbance during maintenance or other work operations. ACM that is accessible to employees is marked
with special labels. Master drawings in
the Facilities Management CAD file system bear special notations alerting
project designers to the presence of asbestos in those locations.
The Jefferson
Lab Asbestos Management Plan and all related documentation are kept by the
Asbestos Program Manager. It is
available for review by any interested Jefferson Lab employee.
5.2
Removal or Abatement of ACM
Should ACM
removal be required because of renovation or major repair activities, planned
asbestos-abatement actions shall be used.
These actions require rigorous project design, the use of licensed
asbestos-removal subcontractors, and special work methods.
5.3
Disposal
Federal, state, and local regulations require that asbestos be handled and disposed of as a special waste. This includes double-bagging with specially labeled, 6-mil polyethylene bags, manifesting the waste, and the use of licensed haulers and disposal facilities. This also applies to equipment or apparatus that has an asbestos-containing component. The Hazardous Waste Coordinator will assist in arranging proper disposal.
|
|
ISSUING
AUTHORITY |
CHAPTER
AUTHOR |
APPROVAL
DATE |
EFFECTIVE
DATE |
EXPIRATION
DATE |
REV. |
|
|
|
|
ESH&Q Division |
12/20/06 |
12/20/06 |
12/20/09 |
0 |
|