Asbestos Abatement : A Quick Guide

Asbestos abatement is one of the most important parts of any asbestos removal project. If you don't know what you're doing, or if you don't have the right equipment and team in place, then your entire project could be in jeopardy. When you're performing an asbestos abatement, you want to make sure that you do it right.

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To perform an effective asbestos abatement process, follow these steps:

 

1. Contract Professionals:

 

Use only certified asbestos contractors and workers. This is the most important thing! Don't skimp on this step.

 

2. Use The Right Equipment:

 

If you plan to undertake the job yourself, make sure that you're using the right equipment for the job. This includes respirators, gloves, and other protective gear that will keep you safe from exposure to asbestos particles. It also includes any equipment that will help with removing these particles from your site: vacuums, HEPA filters, wetting agents, etc.

 

3.   Identify ACMs: 

 

To begin your asbestos abatement process, you must first identify all ACMs in your building. 

 

There are two ways to do this: visually inspect the building or use an infrared camera. The visual inspection method involves looking at each surface in a room to determine if it contains ACMs. 

 

Alternatively you can use the infrared camera method which involves using an infrared camera to detect signs of thermal insulation that may indicate the presence of asbestos-containing materials inside walls and ceilings of buildings.

 

4. Mark Off Area:

 

Mark off areas where ACMs are located so that people don't disturb them without proper protection or tools (like a vacuum). You can mark these areas using colored tape or signs so that everyone knows what's going on with their work area at all times!

 

5. Develop a Work Plan:

 

Once you have identified all of the ACMs present inside your building, it is important to develop a work plan for removing or encapsulating them. This plan should address how much time it will take for each task involved with removing or encapsulating these materials as well as how many workers will be needed at each stage throughout this process.

 

Bottom-line:

 

If you're planning on performing an asbestos abatement process, you should surely be aware of all the pre-abatement requirements. This can help ensure that your project is handled in a safe and compliant manner, while also saving you money and avoiding headache later on.

 

Author bio- Building off over 3 decades of experience from working with his father Jim Mayfield (Mayfield Enterprises, Inc.), James mastered the industry in Foremanship for over 15 years on HAZMAT and Superfund Sites throughout Southern California. Among many other partners, we has worked with Project Navigator, RE Solutions, Crew Grading Inc., WSP, SCS Engineers, TRC Corporation, GeoSyntec, NV5 Environmental, Entact Corp, Waste by Rail, Michael Baker, ERRG, O&M Corp, Largo Concrete, B&D Construction, Xebec, WorkSmart, JLL Enterprises, Mayfield Enterprises, Inc., Arcadis, and more. In addition to being a Stanford-educated Professor with over 30 publications and books in several languages (see Academic Resume), James' real passion lies in Construction-related Project Management, Environmental Cleanups, HAZMAT, Excavation, and Field Labor. We are also Minority-Owned. James Mayfield is a Native American citizen of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas & Nebraska.

 

This is a contributed post.

 

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