Page 13 - Asbestos Training

Chapter 4 - Work Practices and Procedures

Now that we have reviewed the history, characteristics, uses, regulations, and potential locations
of asbestos, we need to discuss work practices and procedures.

Before you begin work, ask your supervisor if the area has been tested for asbestos. If the area
has been tested, your supervisor should show you where the asbestos containing materials are
located. If the area has not been tested, all materials as identified in the potential locations section
are considered Presumed Asbestos Containing Materials (PACM).

If during your inspection, you identify PACM that will be impacted during the repair/maintenance
activity you are about to do, you must fill out a notification form and submit it to your supervisor.
Your supervisor will contact your Department Safety Analyst or Personnel Safety to sample the
area for asbestos. If an asbestos survey has been accomplished in a particular building, there
should be records available as to which materials were tested and the results of the materials
tested. In addition, this inspection report should disclose locations of asbestos containing
materials (ACM).
Only AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) certified asbestos building inspectors
may collect samples of suspect or PACM and have it analyzed for asbestos. If you do not hold
this AHERA certification, you are not allowed to collect samples of PACM.

Cleaning Procedures
If you are assigned to clean PACM dust, you must follow the following procedures:

• All vacuum cleaners used to clean up PACM must be equipped with a HEPA filter.
• Wet methods, or wetting agents during the clean-up of PACM must be utilized except where
employers demonstrate the use of wet methods is infeasible due to, for example, the
creation of electrical hazards, equipment malfunction, and in roofing, slipping hazards.
• All PACM dust must be promptly cleaned up and disposed of in leak-tight containers.

Prohibited Work Practices During Cleaning
The following work practices are PROHIBITED:

• Using compressed air to remove asbestos containing materials or PACM dust.
• Dry sweeping, shoveling or other dry clean-up of PACM dust and debris.

Acceptable Work Practices

Shipping, Receiving, Handling, Storage, and
Assembly

Asbestos-Cement Pipe is shipped clean from the factory and
is carefully loaded using methods that will not damage the pipe
and are acceptable to the carrier. Loading, unloading, stringing
out and assembling asbestos-cement pipe are virtually dust-
free operations.

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