Document zbMN5EnoOLEjbwOYaO7QbemX3

uju^io?? OSHA's New Asbestos Standards Tighten Exposure Levels, Control The tough new rules affect thousands of businesses in industry and construction trict employer requirements de Ssigned to minimize worker expo sure to the health hazards of as bestos, tremolite, anthophyllite and Timetable of Compliance Deadlines-- OSHA Asbestos Standard actinolite have been enacted by the Published in Federal Register June 20,1986. Effective date: July 21,1986 Occupational Safety and Health Ad ministration. General Industry Standard--29 CFR Sec. 1910.1001 The standards (one for general in 1. Respiratory protection: July 21,1986 dustry and one for construction- (If eight-hour TWA exposure exceeds 2.0 f/cc.) related activities), which became ef - Nov. 17,1986 fective July 21, also reduce the permissible exposure limits (PEL) by a factor of 10. The agency pulled no punches in (If eight-hour TWA exposure is between PEL of 0.2 f/cc and 2.0 f/cc.) Jan. 16, 1967 (For those using powered air-purifying respirators.) explaining why its regulation is so de 2. Employee information and training / Oct. 20, 1986 manding. It "is aware of no instance in which exposure to a toxic sub ; ,.: ~ (By this date and at least annually thereafter.) stance has more clearly demonstrated 3. Exposure monnoring: Oct. 20,1986 detrimental health effects on humans / (Not required if testing that meets the new standard was done after Dec. 20,1985, or ' than has asbestos exposure." . - :r if objective data proves that exposure is below the action level.) Asbestos causes life-threatening problems when its airborne fibers are inhaled. Lung cancer, according to 4. Regulated areas: Nov. 17,1986 j - (Areas with exposures above PEL must be separated, visibly identified, restricted.) OSHA, is the greatest health risk for American asbestos workers. Other diseases linked to asbestos exposure include mesothelioma (cancer of the esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, 5. Medical surveillance: Nov. 17,1966 & -- - (Unless records show employee had exam within past year. In any event, exposed r:`i:rworkers must be examined annually ) > 6a. Construction plana: Jan. 16,1987 kidney, larynx and pharynx) as well as --' :(For changing room, shower, lavatory, lunchroom.) lung and respiratory diseases. WORKERS AFFECTED. According to government figures, approximately 570,052 workers in general industry and 746,228 in the construction indus try are exposed to asbestos. An esti mated 286,608 firms in general indus r8to*'Construction plans completed: July 20,1987 - ; ' -(Unless an independent engineering firm verifies that engineering controls and work practices reduce exposures below PEL by July 20, 1988. if these don't reduce exposure levels below PEL, then construction that will reduce exposures below PEL must be completed within one year after the controls were Installed.) .7. Written compliance program: July 20,1987 try, mostly in service and repair, are potentially affected by the new stand ard. Affected industries are primary and secondary manufacturing, auto motive brake and clutch repair, ship building, ship repair and construc Construction Standard--29 CFR Sec. 1926.58 New provWons--compliance must be achieved by Jan. 16,1987 `Source: Asbestos Compliance Encyclopedia, Business & Legal Reports, Madison, Conn. i j 1 tion. The revised asbestos standard will not have any significant economic im pact, OSHA claims, nor will it impose an adverse impact on small firms, with the possible exceptions of sec ondary gasket manufacturing and renovation activities in construction. OSHA says that substitute materi als for asbestos are now available at little or no increase in cost, and that compliance with the 0.2 f/cc PEL "is feasible in most industries most of the time through the use of wet methods, engineering controls and good house- keeping practices." There are some op erations, however, such as some tex tile and building repair activities where respiratory protection also must be used to comply with the PEL. Government figures project that the reduced PEL will prevent 75 can cer deaths per year, principally in au tomotive repair and building renova tion. It estimates that this increased protection will cost approximately $460 million in annual compliance costs. The majority of these costs will tors. The major expense for general industry is for engineering controls such as ventilation and solvent spray. COMMENTS ON STANDARD. Vir tually all participants in OSHA s rule making proceedings agreed that "the evidence linking asbestos exposure to dire health effects was compelling and required OSHA to reduce the old PEL" of 2.0 fibers per cubic centi meter to 0.2 f/cc. Industry, labor and public health supported the reduction of the PEL to at least 0.2, while other By John Brady, Editor-m-Chiet, Asbestos Compliance Encyclopedia, Madison, Conn. occur in the construction industry ($352 million), about 60 percent of I which will be for vacuums and respira participants, primarily the Asbestos Information Association of North America, urged a higher proposed DECEMBER 1966 53 / AMU A! V'.Br STOS COUNG. Fourth Annual Asbestos Abatement Exposition and Conference Toward Standardization in the Industry January 20-22, 1987 Hyatt Regency Hotel and Rosemont O'Hare Exposition Center Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois An informative opening General Session. Thirty technical sessions covering a variety of important subjects of interest to anyone involved in asbestos abatement. Several technical sessions will be repeated from previous N.A.C. Conferences by popular demand. A trade show featuring products and services available, displayed in over one hundred fifty exhibit booths. Major demonstration areas to show you current technology in action. The 1987 Annual Meeting of the National Asbestos Council, offering you the opportunity to participate in this fast growing, professional association. Use the forms In the brochure to preregister, make hotel reservations and secure discounted airline reservations. CUT HERE Mail to: Executive Director, N.A.C., at 2786 North Decatur Road, Suite 220, Decatur, Georgia 30033, (404) 292-3802 Please send the Chicago Conference Brochure. Please send N.A.C. Membership Information. Name __________________________________________________________________________ _ Address ______ _________________________ _____________________________________ __ _____________ City State Zip Circle 21 on card. BRG 0821 Asbestos Rule Aims at Auto Shops The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ruled in July that auto service stations working on brake and clutch repairs must reduce levels of asbestos within the workplace. An estimated 285,000 auto repair shops are expected to be affected by this ruling, which applies to garages where the average asbestos level is above 0.2 fibers per cubic centimeter of air in an eight-hour time-weighted period. Workplaces with 0.1 f/cc can impose safety standards or undergo strict surveillance measures. The ruling became law on July 21, but garages and auto body shops have until Jan. 21 to develop and install a method to control asbestos. With more than half of all auto brake linings containing asbestos, nearly 1 million auto mechanics are believed to be exposed to the dangerous substance each year. Repeated exposure to asbestos can increase the risk of lung cancer, asbestosis and gastrointestinal cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. OSHA and the EPA have recommended two methods of asbestos control; the enclosed cylinder/HEPA vacuum system method and the compressed air/solvent method. The vacuum method uses a wheel-shaped cylinder that encloses the wheel assembly, while isolating and removing the microscopic asbestos particles. The cylinder is connected to a special HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner for collection of the toxic asbestos fibers. The solvent method of asbestos removal loosens the asbestos-containing residue and captures the airborne particles in the solvent mist, which is then wiped with a rag. --By JiU Pollack, Representative, Nilfisk ofAmerica Inc., Malvern, Pa. level of 0.5 f/cc. The AIA based its recommendations on three factors: that 0.5 f/cc is the low est level technologically feasible; that the risk from asbestos becomes insignif icant at 0.5 f/cc; and that smoking is an important factor in the risk of asbestosrelated disease and efforts to reduce smoking would make a 0.5 f/cc PEL suf ficiently protective. OSHA disagreed Lung cancer is the greatest risk for asbestos workers. with each of these reasons, citing the preponderance of scientific evidence it had gathered in developing the stand ard. Most commentators on the proposed standard were opposed to OSHA's pro posal to give respiratory protection the same priority as engineering and work practice controls. As an example, Dr. Morton Corn of Johns Hopkins Univer sity and the former head of OSHA, said, "Engineering controls are at the top of the `hierarchy of controls' because they fail with less frequency than other types of controls." Put ARC on the job and breathe a lot easier. Don't let the presence of asbestos be a major worry when planning your next renovation project. Want to breathe easier, put ARC--the Asbestos Removal Corp. to work for you Using EPA and OSHA approved mei assist you at every phase of your asbi project from site inspection to reins' k ARC will itement For more details regarding our call or write: ARC--The Asbestos Removal 153 Waverly Place New York, NY 10014 (212)807.6688 ARC-A division of Demolition Specialists, Inc. DECEMBER 1986 Asbestos Removal Corp. Circle 22 on card. Asbestos CORRECTION SPECIALISTS America's foremost asbestos correc tion contractors with over seven years of experience can successfully sur vey, label, test and remove contami nated areas professionally and sately according to EPA and OSHA regulations. Competitive pricing anywhere in the country. Compare our AsbestosGeneral Liability Insurance with our competitors No job. too big. too small or too far. Members of National Association of Asbestos Abatement Contractors Air monitoring, bulk testing and consulting. Lef us bid on your next project SuperiorSystems, Inc. St Louis. MO Lexington, KY LaCrosse. Wl 1-800-942-0066 In St Lout. S14-SM-0022 Circle 23 on card. 55 ASBESTOS in plants and offices can diminish building value, cause health prob lems and be overly expensive to mitigate. TtC manages the problem. We determine what needs to be done, write the specifica tions, estimate the costs, oversee the removal and/or containment program, sample the asbestos and monitor the air quality. With over 15 years experience in indoor air quality. TRC SERVICE LIMITS YOUR RISK ASBESTOS Other organizations agreed with OSHA's position. A Tfexaco spokesperson said: "It has been our experience that con trol methods which are more cost-effective, but equally safe guarding, will be provided when the employer has the flexibility to select the means of controlling exposure." Despite the differing opinions on this issue, OSHA's final regulation states that "the use of respiratory protection" shall be used as a supplement when "feasible engineering controls.. .are not sufficient to reduce employee exposure." SEPARATE STANDARDS. OSHA developed separate standards and hit the construction industry hard with its tough approach toward asbestos regulation because of its higher risk and because of the variable nature of construc tion activities. Construction work often is performed by short-term em ployees at multi-employer sites. Work is frequently done outdoors in temporary work areas. The construction stand ard's requirements--particularly for engineering controls and hygiene facilities--reflect these conditions. The standards' requirements begin with monitoring em ployee exposure by taking air samples. Airborne fibers above the action or permissible exposure levels trigger the standards' other requirements. Monitoring must be repeated at least every six months in industrial applications; daily for construction unless em ployees wear positive-pressure, air-supplying respirators. Exceptions are permitted in both cases, based on objective and historical data. PERMISSIBLE LIMITS. Because the health risks from as bestos are so serious, OSHA not only strengthened the ex posure regulation by dropping it from 2.0 f/cc to 0.2 f/cc (on RISKY BUSINESS. BonneTferre helps take the risk out of asbestos abatement Controlling asbestos contamination can be hazardous work--to the environment, to the public, and to your people When you add to that the pressures of competition, completion dates, and costs, your business is facing a number of risks and uncertainties. Vbu don't need to be uncertain about your equipment and materials, too. Now there's a company you can count on for the best equipment backed by the service you need--BonneTerre Industries, Inc. BonneTferre is the Source BonneTerre is your angle source for the safest, most technologically advanced decontamination equipment and supplies available in the worfcrtoday--from 3M respirators; Dynamatfon air filtration panels to Spray Ftrly and D1SPOSALENE disposable gioveTaags and burial bags. Circle 49 on card. BonneTferre is Service Your jobs won't wait, and you shouldn't ha\re to wait for back orders or slow delivery. Our hours are 8 a m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time So no matter where you are we'll get your equip ment and supplies to you on time-- every time BonneTferre is Solid. Backed by years of experi ence in the contamination , control industry, BonneTerre will be there when you need us ftr more information call BonneTerre Industries to find out how we can help reduce . your risks in this nsky business BonneTerre Industries, Inc CONTAMINATION MANAGEMENT MATERIALS lfcinr.'fj 3069 McCall Dnve * Suite 6 Atlanta. Georgia 30340 call TbU Free: I-800-222-52S2 In Atlanta: 404-4S4-9143 BRG 0823 an eight-hour time-weighted average), it also set an action level of 0.1 f/cc. The new standard's monitoring, training and medical-surveillance requirements are initiated at the action level, not the PEL. Employers are required to imple ment a written program showing how engineering, work practice controls and respirators (where permitted) will re duce employee exposure to or below the limit. OSHA-affected employees and designated employee representatives may examine and copy these programs. The programs must be available by July 20, 1987. OSHA also requires that medical ex aminations be performed before em ployees are assigned to industrial jobs in which they will be exposed to asbes tos above the action level. The construc tion standard mandates medical sur veillance for employees who must wear negative-pressure respirators or who are exposed above the action level for 30 or more days a year. Medical exams, which must be re peated annually, emphasize respiratory and cardiovascular tests, and OSHA has developed a respiratory health questionnaire that employees must complete when examined. ASBESTOS WORK AREAS. OSHA tries to minimize the number of employ ees exposed by requiring that asbestos work areas be marked off and, in some cases, enclosed. Major construction in volving asbestos must be done in a negative-pressure enclosure, supervised by a trained person. In all cases, employee access to as bestos work areas is restricted, and signs that include the word "DAN GER" and warnings of asbestos' cancer hazards are required. Warning labels with similar wording are required on all containers of asbestos-containing mate rials. Both standards emphasize engineer ing controls as the best way to reduce exposure. Exhaust ventilation and dust collection systems, wet methods of han dling and removing asbestos, and vac uums with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are among the key controls recommended by OSHA to minimize release of airborne fibers. Sub stitution of materials is another possi bility. The standards also include such pro hibitions as any type of blowing of as bestos, and using employee rotation as a means of compliance. Housekeeping also is an effective control, and the industrial standard re quires keeping surfaces as free as possi ble from asbestos dust. Both standards require quick cleanup of spills and dis- DECEMBER 1986 posal of asbestos-contaminated materi als in sealed, impermeable containers. PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. When engineering controls are not enough, OSHA requires employees to wear res pirators and to receive training in their use and limits. Protective clothing also must be pro vided, and OSHA has developed de tailed procedures to prevent employees from carrying asbestos fibers on their I street clothes and into their homes. Both the construction and industry standards have strict requirements for laundering contaminated work clothes, making employers responsible for alert ing laundry workers to the hazards of asbestos and to strict safety proce dures. The regular standard calls for clean change rooms, with separate storage fa cilities for street and work clothes. Em- Asbestos removal isn't for amateurs. Asbestos removal is to be taken seriously. If not handled properly the asbestos is best left alone. A compromise could leave your company and your self in jeopardy. Call MARCOR, the asbestos professionals. What you get from MARCOR are the resources it takes to remove your asbestos and your liability. You get the MARCOR track record, too. We've successfully completed thousands of projects nationwide. Let us give you the details now. For a free con sultation on your asbestos removal requirements, call us toll-free 800-547-0128. THE ASBESTOS SOLUTION MJbARCORIt Mechanical Asbestos Removal. Inc. Baltimore 301/620-0942 Los Angeles 010/401-0722 San Francisco 415/895-5252 Washington, D.C. 301/937-4050 Philadelphia 215/430-0025 Circle on card. BRG 0824 |_QCl i Answeri if rm cos Pownl SAVES Time and Money CHEAPERt than water to meet 0.2 PEL Tested by Battelle Labs "Outstanding for wetting and encapsulating asbestos fibers." "Encapsulated particles will not float in the air but drop directly to the floor." NEW: OSHA rule and NIBS spec, now recognize & include BWE removal encapsulant. BWE Removal Encapsulant 5000 (Patent Pending) U.S. & Fgn. GSA Contract No. 87518, NIS-G-0583 BWE Penetrating Encapsulant 3000 (Patent Pending) U.S. & Fgn. GSA Contract No. 87518, NIS-G-0582 Easy and Safe to use: I. Spray 2. Remove 3. Lock Down Work practices recognized by OSHA and NIBS Our fiber counts during encapsulation and removal are significantly below guidelines set by OSHA and EPA. Lowest possible fiber counts Proven effective on Amosite Clean up time reduced Quick-Final Air Clearance Cost Effective - Saves Time and Money Our products create a non-hazardous working environment for reoccupation. Your best abatement insurance is to use State of the Art For ordering or Free information: Call BWE TOLL FREE 800 - 654-6702, (From Calif.) 800 - 331 -6775 YOUR ABATEMENT SOLUTION BUnp BETTER WORKING dvtL ENVIRONMENTS, INC.TM 3716 Scripps Way, Las Vegas, Nevada 89103 58 Circle 26 on card. ASBESTOS ployers also must provide showers for employees to use before putting on street clothes and provide separate lunch rooms with a positive-pressure filtered air supply. The agency recognizes that this could be difficult at construction sites, and therefore requires them to have clean areas (not necessarily rooms) for changing. Showers do not have to be adjacent to the work area, but eating areas must have exposure limits below the action level. The standards stress the employ er's responsibility for good hygiene, including no eating, drinking, smok ing or applying cosmetics in asbestos work areas. Such hygiene precautions are just one part of the training that the Training must cover all aspects of asbestos hazards. standard requires for all employees exposed above the action level. This may be part of the company's overall training program, but training must specifically cover all aspects of asbes tos hazards and safety--including in forming employees of the extra risk of smoking and working with asbestos. TVaining must be related annually. RIGHT-TO-KNOW. In line with OSHA's growing Right-to-Know empha sis, employees must be given written reports on the results of monitoring and physical exams. Employers must maintain all such records as long as the employee works there plus 30 fol lowing years, and must also keep data that supports any exemptions they claim from the standards' require ments. Appendices to both standards in clude some mandatory regulations such as required methods for air sam pling and analysis and for respirator fit testing. Medical-surveillance ques tionnaires and interpretations of chest X-rays also are mandatory. The informational appendices provide use ful background on asbestos and, par ticularly in the construction standard, detailed explanations of materials and procedures to meet the standard's re quirements and minimize employee exposure to asbestos. While both standards became ef fective July 21, 1986, the start-up dates for their various requirements are staggered to give employers an op portunity to develop programs and controls. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 4 SAFET f BRG 0825