R307-801-13. Asbestos Abatement and Renovation Project: Work Practices

  (1) An asbestos abatement supervisor who has been certified under R307-801-6 shall be on-site during asbestos abatement project setup, asbestos removal, stripping, cleaning and dismantling of the project, and other handling of uncontainerized regulated asbestos-containing material (RACM).

  (2) All persons handling any amount of uncontainerized RACM during a regulated project shall be certified as an asbestos abatement worker or an asbestos abatement supervisor certified under R307-801-6.

  (3) Persons performing an asbestos abatement or renovation project at a regulated facility shall follow the work practices in R307-801-13. Where the work practices in R307-801-13(3) and (4) are required, wrap and cut, open top catch bags, glove bags, and mini-enclosures may be used in combination with those work practices.

  (a) Adequately wet regulated asbestos-containing material (RACM) with amended water before exposing or disturbing it, except when temperatures are continuously below freezing (32 degrees F.), and when all requirements in 40 CFR 61.145(c)(7) are met.

  (b) Install barriers and post warning signs to prevent access to the work area. Warning signs shall conform to the specifications of 29 CFR 1926.1101(k)(7).

  (c) Keep RACM adequately wet until it is containerized and disposed of in accordance with R307-801-14.

  (d) Ensure that RACM that is stripped or removed is promptly containerized.

  (e) Prevent visible particulate matter and uncontainerized asbestos-containing debris and waste originating in the work area from being released outside of the negative pressure enclosure or designated work area.

  (f) Filter all waste water to five microns before discharging it to a sanitary sewer.

  (g) Decontaminate the outside of all persons, equipment, and waste bags so that no visible residue is observed before leaving the work area.

  (h) Apply encapsulant to RACM that is exposed but not removed during stripping.

  (i) Clean the work area, drop cloths, and other interior surfaces of the enclosure using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum and wet cleaning techniques until there is no visible residue before dismantling barriers.

  (j) After cleaning and before dismantling enclosure barriers, mist all surfaces inside of the enclosure with a penetrating encapsulant designed for that purpose.

  (k) Handle and dispose of friable asbestos-containing material (ACM) and RACM according to the disposal provisions of R307-801-14.

  (4) All operators of NESHAP-sized asbestos abatement projects shall install a negative pressure enclosure using the following work practices.

  (a) All openings to the work area shall be covered with at least one layer of six mil or thicker polyethylene sheeting sealed with duct tape or an equivalent barrier to air flow.

  (b) If RACM debris is present in the proposed work area prior to the start of a NESHAP-sized asbestos abatement project, the site shall be prepared by removing the debris using the work practice requirements of R307-801-13 and disposal requirements of R307-801-14. If the total amount of loose visible RACM debris throughout the entire work area is the SSSD amount, then site preparation may begin after the notification form has been submitted and before the end of the ten working day waiting period.

  (c) A decontamination unit constructed to the specifications of R307-801-13(4)(h) shall be attached to the containment prior to disturbing RACM or commencing a NESHAP-sized asbestos abatement project, and all persons shall enter and leave the negative pressure enclosure or work area only through the decontamination unit except in a life threatening emergency situation.

  (d) All persons subject to R307-801 shall shower before entering the clean-room of the decontamination unit when exiting the enclosure and shall follow all procedures required by 29 CFR 1926.1101(j)(1)(ii).

  (e) No materials may be removed from the enclosure or brought into the enclosure through any opening other than a waste load-out or a decontamination unit.

  (f) The negative pressure enclosure of the work area shall be constructed with the following specifications:

  (i) Apply at least two layers of six mil or thicker polyethylene sheeting or its equivalent to the floor extending at least one foot up every wall and seal in place with duct tape or its equivalent;

  (ii) Apply at least two layers of four mil or thicker polyethylene sheeting or its equivalent to the walls without locating seams in wall or floor corners;

  (iii) Seal all seams with duct tape or its equivalent;

  (iv) Maintain the integrity of all enclosure barriers; and

  (v) Where a wall or floor will be removed as part of the NESHAP-sized asbestos abatement project, polyethylene sheeting need not be applied to that regulated facility component or structural member.

  (g) View ports shall be installed in the enclosure or barriers where feasible, and view ports shall be:

  (i) At least one foot square;

  (ii) Made of clear material that is impermeable to the passage of air, such as an acrylic sheet;

  (iii) Positioned so as to maximize the view of the inside of the enclosure from a position outside the enclosure; and

  (iv) Accessible to a person outside of the enclosure.

  (h) A decontamination unit shall be constructed according to the following specifications:

  (i) The unit shall be attached to the enclosure or work area;

  (ii) The decontamination unit shall consist of at least three chambers and meet all regulatory requirements of 29 CFR 1926.1101(j)(1)(i);

  (iii) The clean room, which is the chamber that opens to the outside, shall be no less than three feet wide by three feet long by six feet high, when feasible;

  (iv) The shower room, which is the chamber between the clean and dirty rooms, shall have hot and cold or warm running water and be no less than three feet wide by three feet long by six feet high, when feasible;

  (v) The dirty room, which is the chamber that opens to the negative pressure enclosure or the designated work area, shall be no less than three feet wide by three feet long by six feet high, when feasible;

  (vi) The dirty room shall be provided with an accessible waste bag at any time that asbestos abatement project is being performed.

  (i) A separate waste load-out following the specifications below may be attached to the enclosure for removal of decontaminated waste containers and decontaminated or wrapped tools from the enclosure.

  (i) The waste load-out shall consist of at least one chamber constructed of six mil or thicker polyethylene walls and six mil or thicker polyethylene flaps or the equivalent on the outside and inside entrances;

  (ii) The waste load-out chamber shall be at least three feet long, three feet high, and three feet wide; and

  (iii) The waste load-out supplies shall be sufficient to decontaminate bags, and shall include a water supply with a filtered drain, clean rags, disposable rags or wipes, and clean bags.

  (j) Negative air pressure and flow shall be established and maintained within the enclosure by:

  (i) Maintaining at least four air changes per hour in the enclosure;

  (ii) Routing the exhaust from HEPA filtered ventilation units to the outside of the regulated facility whenever possible;

  (iii) Maintaining a minimum of 0.02 column inches of water pressure differential relative to outside pressure; and

  (iv) Maintaining a monitoring device to measure the negative pressure in the enclosure.

  (5) In lieu of two layers of polyethylene on the walls and the floors as required by R307-801-13(4)(f)(i) and (ii), the following work practices and controls may be used only under the circumstances described below:

  (a) When a pipe insulation removal asbestos abatement project is conducted the following may be used:

  (i) Drop cloths extending a distance at least equivalent to the height of the RACM around all RACM to be removed, or extended to a wall and attached with duct tape or equivalent;

  (ii) Either the glove bag or wrap and cut methods may be used; and

  (iii) RACM shall be adequately wet before wrapping.

  (b) When the RACM is scattered ACM and is found in small patches, such as isolated pipe fittings, the following procedures may be used:

  (i) Glove bags, mini-enclosures as described in R307-801-13(7)(c), or wrap and cut methods with drop cloths large enough to capture all RACM fragments that fall from the work area may be used.

  (ii) If all asbestos disturbance is limited to the inside of negative pressure glove bags or a mini-enclosure, then non-glove bag or non-mini-enclosure building openings need not be sealed and negative pressure need not be maintained in the space outside of the glove bags or mini-enclosure during the asbestos removal operation.

  (iii) A remote decontamination unit may be used as described in R307-801-13(7)(d) only if an attached decontamination unit is not feasible.

  (c) When a preformed RACM pipe insulation asbestos abatement project in a crawl space or pipe chase less than six feet high or less than three feet wide is conducted, the following may be used:

  (i) Drop cloths extending a distance at least six feet around all preformed RACM pipe insulation to be removed or extended to a wall and attached with duct tape or equivalent; or

  (ii) The open top catch bag method.

  (6) During outdoor asbestos abatement projects, the work practices of R307-801-13 shall be followed with the following modifications:

  (a) Negative pressure need not be maintained if there is not an enclosure;

  (b) Six mil polyethylene drop cloth, or equivalent, large enough to capture all RACM fragments that fall from the work area shall be used; and

  (c) A remote decontamination unit as described in R307-801-13(7)(d) may be used.

  (7) Special work practices.

  (a) If the wrap and cut method is used:

  (i) The regulated facility component shall be cut at least six inches from any RACM on that component;

  (ii) If asbestos will be removed from the regulated facility component to accommodate cutting, the asbestos removal shall be performed using a single glove bag for each cut, and no RACM shall be disturbed outside of a glove bag;

  (iii) The wrapping shall be leak-tight and shall consist of two layers of six mil polyethylene sheeting, each individually sealed with duct tape, and all RACM between the cuts shall be sealed inside wrap; and

  (iv) The wrapping shall remain intact and leak-tight throughout the removal and disposal process.

  (b) If the open top catch bag method is used:

  (i) The material to be removed can only be preformed RACM pipe insulation, and it shall be located in a crawl space or a pipe chase less than six feet high or less than three feet wide;

  (ii) Asbestos waste bags that are leak-tight and strong enough to hold contents securely shall be used;

  (iii) The bag shall be placed underneath the stripping operation to minimize ACM falling onto the drop cloth;

  (iv) All material stripped from the regulated facility component shall be placed in the bag;

  (v) One asbestos abatement worker shall hold the bag and another asbestos abatement worker shall strip the ACM into the bag; and

  (vi) A drop cloth extending a distance at least six feet around all preformed RACM pipe insulation to be removed, or extended to a wall and attached with duct tape or equivalent shall be used.

  (c) If glove bags are used, they shall be under negative pressure, and the procedures required by 29 CFR 1926.1101(g)(5)(iii) shall be followed.

  (d) A remote decontamination unit may be used under the conditions set forth in R307-801-13(5)(b) and (6), when there is an area insufficient to construct a connected decontamination unit, or when approved by the director. The remote decontamination unit shall meet all construction standards in R307-801-13(4)(h) and shall include:

  (i) Outerwear shall be HEPA vacuumed or removed, and additional clean protective outerwear shall be put on;

  (ii) Either polyethylene sheeting shall be placed on the path to the decontamination unit and the path shall be blocked or taped off to prevent public access, or asbestos abatement workers shall be conveyed to the remote decontamination unit in a vehicle that has been lined with two layers of six mil or thicker polyethylene sheeting or its equivalent; and

  (iii) The polyethylene path or vehicle liner shall be removed at the end of the project, and disposed of as ACWM.

  (e) Mini-enclosures, when used under approved conditions, shall conform to the requirements of 29 CFR 1926.1101(g)(5)(vi).

  (8) For asbestos-containing mastic removal projects using mechanical means, such as a power buffer, to loosen or remove mastic from the floor, in lieu of two layers of polyethylene sheeting on the walls, splash guards of six mil or thicker polyethylene sheeting shall be placed from the floor level a minimum of three feet up the walls.

  (9) Persons who improperly disturb more than the SSSD amount of asbestos-containing material and contaminate an area with friable asbestos shall:

  (a) Have the emergency clean-up portion of the project, including any portions not contained within a regulated facility or in common use areas that cannot be isolated, performed as soon as possible by a company or companies certified according to R307-801-5, and, asbestos abatement supervisor(s), and asbestos abatement worker(s) certified according to R307-801-6.

  (b) Have an asbestos clean-up plan designed by a Utah certified asbestos project designer for the non-emergency portion of the project and have the asbestos clean-up plan submitted to the director for approval. An asbestos clean-up plan is not required when the disturbance results from a natural disaster, fire, or flooding.

  (c) Submit the project notification form required by R307-801-11 and 12 to the director for acceptance no later than the next working day after the disturbance occurs or is discovered. For fee calculation purposes, the size of the emergency clean-up project is the area that has been contaminated or potentially contaminated by the disturbance and not the amount of asbestos-containing material disturbed.

  (d) Notify the director of project completion by telephone, fax, or electronic means by the day of completion and before leaving the site.

  (10) For asbestos abatement, renovation, or demolition projects that remove or otherwise disturb loose-fill vermiculite type insulation materials assumed to be regulated asbestos-containing material or found to contain greater than 1% regulated asbestiform fibers, then the material being removed is considered regulated asbestos-containing material and shall meet all the appropriate regulatory requirements of R307-801.

  (a) Regulated vermiculite shall be removed to the maximum extent possible, or by following a work practice that has been established by the director, or by an alternative work practice as approved by the director.