(6) Bag-out area. A licensed asbestos consultant must
specify when a bag-out area is required as part of containment. At
a minimum, a bag-out area is a two-stage area connected to the containment,
separated by airlocks, with a rinse station separated from the bagging-room.
A bag-out area must not be used to decontaminate personnel.
(7) Prohibited activities in a regulated area. The
asbestos abatement contractor and asbestos consultant must ensure
that their employees do not eat, drink, smoke, chew tobacco or gum,
or apply cosmetics in the regulated area. Food or drink containers,
coolers, tobacco products, gum, and cosmetics are not permitted in
the regulated area.
(8) Decontamination area. The containment must include
an attached personnel decontamination area. The area must consist
of a clean room, shower room, and equipment room. Each room must be
at least 30 inches by 30 inches wide and 75 inches tall. Each room
must be separated from the other and from the containment by airlocks
so that air does not escape outside the containment and that air flows
from the outside to the inside of containment through the decontamination
area. The shower room must be provided with soap and water and, where
feasible, hot and cold water where the temperature can be adjusted
by the user. A licensed asbestos consultant must specify a remote
decontamination area when it is not feasible to attach the decontamination
area to the containment. The consultant must specify procedures for
minimizing the migration of fibers from the containment to the remote
decontamination area. Except where remote decontamination area is
specified, all persons must exit the containment through the shower
before entering the clean room. An asbestos-contaminated individual
or item must not enter the clean room. A licensed asbestos abatement
supervisor must ensure that the decontamination area is fully operational
before and during any asbestos abatement activity. Any person exiting
containment must:
(A) remove all gross contamination and debris from
protective clothing before entering the equipment room;
(B) remove protective clothing in the equipment room
and deposit the clothing in impermeable plastic bags or containers
labeled as required in subsection (c)(4) of this section;
(C) not remove respirators in the equipment room;
(D) shower before entering the clean room; and
(E) enter the clean room before changing into street
clothes.
(9) HVAC equipment. The HVAC system must be isolated
from the regulated area. Any supply and return opening and any seam
in system components must be sealed with either impermeable plastic
sheeting, tape, or both. An old filter must be disposed of as asbestos
waste.
(10) Warning signs. A warning sign that complies with
29 CFR §1926.1101, must be displayed at all entrances to regulated
area, including an area requiring a critical barrier that can be used
to gain entrance to the containment, such as a door, window, or hallway.
To protect the public from accidental entry, a warning sign must be
displayed, at minimum, in both Spanish and English at the same location.
Asbestos caution tape must not be substituted for a warning sign.
(11) Cleaning. Cleaning procedures must include wet
methods and HEPA vacuuming. A HEPA vacuum designed and equipped with
a HEPA filter must remain on-site during any asbestos abatement activity.
HEPA vacuums must be operated and maintained in accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions. A HEPA vacuum that meets the standard
of ASTM F1977-04 and is operated according to manufacturer's specifications
will meet the requirement of this section.
(12) Containment-area ventilation. HEPA filtration
units must be operated continuously from the time containment is established
through the time acceptable final air clearance is achieved, maintaining
negative pressure with a manometric reading of at least -0.02 inches
inside the containment. There must be HEPA units in sufficient number
to provide negative pressure within the containment relative to the
non-containment area, as indicated by a water column differential
that produces a manometric instrument reading of at least -0.02 inches.
HEPA units must, in combination, provide a minimum of four containment
air changes per hour. Units must be operated with unrestricted exhaust,
unless it is not feasible, and must be in a location that draws air
across the containment area so that asbestos fibers are captured and
minimizes areas without air movement. These units must exhaust filtered
air to the outside of the building wherever feasible.
(c) Removal of ACBM.
(1) All ACBM must be adequately wetted using amended
water before removal or other handling. A consultant may specify the
use of water without surfactant if it is as protective of public health.
The ACBM must then be placed in bags (or other suitable containers)
that must be marked in accordance with applicable NESHAP and OSHA
regulations and paragraph (4) of this subsection. All ACWM must be
double-bagged into 6-mil thick plastic bags or placed into a leak-tight
drum.
(2) A bag must not be filled to a level that tears
or breaks the bag. Excess air in a bag must be removed before entering
the bag-out area. The top of the bag must be twisted closed, folded
over, and sealed with duct tape. The bag must be rinsed off or HEPA-vacuumed
in the bag-out area to remove asbestos contamination and placed inside
another bag or leak-tight drum. If an outer bag is used, excess air
must be removed, and the bag must be closed and sealed in the same
manner as the inner bag.
(3) If a bag leaks, the bag must be placed into a third
bag and sealed as required in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection.
If a drum leaks, the drum must be wrapped in a minimum of one layer
of 6-mil thick plastic sheeting and sealed.
(4) The exterior bag, wrapping, or leak-tight drum
must have warning and generator labels applied as specified in 40
CFR §61.150(a)(1)(iv) and (v) (relating to Standard for waste
disposal for manufacturing, fabricating, demolition, renovation, and
spraying operations). Generator labels must be printed in letters
of sufficient size and contrast to be readily visible and legible.
All required labeling of ACWM containers must be done before removal
from the regulated area. Any container or wrapped component labeled
as asbestos must be containerized and labeled as ACWM before removal
from the regulated area.
(5) A component covered with, coated with, or containing
ACM that is going to be removed from the building may either, after
being adequately wetted, be stripped in place, cleaned, and pass a
visual inspection by the asbestos consultant, or the ACBM may be adequately
wetted and the entire component wrapped in two layers of 6-mil thick
plastic sheeting or equivalent, labeled, and sealed, provided that:
(A) any component, such as a section of metal lath,
that cannot be safely lowered to the floor must, after being adequately
wetted, be stripped in place;
(B) any component that cannot be lowered or handled
without presenting an excessive fiber release or safety hazard must
be stripped in place; and
(C) a sharp edge of any component must be protected
to preclude tearing the plastic wrapping and causing injury.
(6) ACBM must be removed as a wrapped unit or in small
sections and containerized while wet. Material must not be allowed
to accumulate on the floor or become dry. Any structural component
or piping must be adequately wetted before wrapping it in plastic
sheeting for disposal.
(7) At the conclusion of the removal, the licensed
asbestos abatement contractor must perform a visual inspection to
confirm that all ACBM required to be removed was removed and containerized,
in accordance with this section, and that the containment is free
of all residual dust and debris.
(8) Temporary storage of ACWM must be provided (for
example, a dedicated roll-off box, dumpster, or storage room lined
with 6-mil thick plastic sheeting). All temporary storage must be
sealed to prevent unauthorized access and safeguarded to keep the
storage container sealed and leak tight. Final disposal of ACWM must
be within 30 days after project completion, or when the receiving
container is full, whichever is sooner.
(9) A vehicle used to transport ACWM must be marked
in accordance with 40 CFR §61.149(d)(1)(i) - (iii), (relating
to Standard for waste disposal for asbestos mills) and §61.150(c)
during the loading and unloading of ACWM so that the signs are visible.
(10) ACWM transported by a licensed asbestos transporter
off the asbestos abatement project site must be disposed of in accordance
with 40 CFR §61.150(d).
(d) Requirements for the encapsulation of ACBM.
(1) Any product used for encapsulation must be clearly
labeled or described in writing by the manufacturer as being designed
for the particular asbestos-related activity. A product that is not
clearly labeled or described as an asbestos encapsulant must be tested
before use, and found to conform to ASTM E1494-12, if the intended
use is to encapsulate ACBM.
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