Work Area Preparation

Section 855 Section 855.400  Work Area Preparation The asbestos abatement contractor shall perform the following steps, in the order in which they appear, to prepare the work area. The contractor shall: a)         Complete the requirements in Section 855.430.  Any barriers, such as temporary walls or ceilings, needed to completely enclose the work area, shall be constructed in accordance with Section 855.430. b)         Post caution signs meeting the specifications of OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1101(k)(6) at any location and approaches to a location where airborne concentrations of asbestos may exceed ambient background levels.  Signs shall be posted to permit a person to read the sign and take the necessary protective measures to avoid exposure before entering the work area. c)         Shut down and lock out electric power to all contained areas on a daily basis.  "Shut Down and Lock Out" means to switch off all electrical circuit breakers serving power or lighting circuits which run to, or through, the contained area.  Label circuit breakers with tape over the breakers with the notation "DANGER, circuit being worked on".  Lock the electrical door or panel with separate locks, one lock and key for the supervisor and one lock and key for the project manager.  No other personnel shall have keyed access to the electrical power in the contained area.  Provide temporary power and lighting and ensure safe installation of temporary power sources and equipment in accordance with the National Electrical Code (see Section 855.10(b)(1)).  All power to work areas shall be brought in from outside the area through ground-fault circuit interrupters at the source. d)         Shut down and isolate heating, cooling, and ventilating air systems to prevent contamination and fiber dispersal to other areas of the structure. Remove all HVAC system filters and place in labeled six mil polyethylene or equivalent bags for disposal as asbestos-contaminated waste.  Clean the filter assembly and outside of the duct work using HEPA vacuums or wet cleaning techniques. e)         Seal off all openings to windows, corridors, doorways, skylights, ducts, grills, diffusers, and any other penetrations of the work areas, with six mil plastic or equivalent sheeting sealed with tape.  Also seal all seams in system components that pass through the contained area.  Doorways and corridors which will not be used during work must be sealed with barriers as described in Section 855.430. f)         Proposed contained area. 1)         Where friable ACBM is present in the proposed contained area as defined in the asbestos management plan and/or project designer's specifications, the following shall be conducted by the contractor: A)        Pre-clean movable objects within the proposed work areas using HEPA filtered vacuum equipment and/or wet cleaning methods, as appropriate, and remove such objects from work areas to a temporary location. B)        Upholstered furniture and drapes shall be HEPA vacuumed twice before removal from the work area. C)        Carpeting shall be removed and disposed of as asbestos-containing waste material,  unless the following are complied with: i)          Take one representative bulk sample from each homogeneous material which shall include the carpet fiber, the carpet backing, and the carpet mastic. ii)         The bulk samples shall be analyzed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).  If the samples are found to contain no asbestos fibers, the carpet may remain in place if protected from contamination. iii)        Cover carpets that have been reported as containing no asbestos fibers with two layers of six mil poly or equivalent or place 7/16" plywood or equivalent over the layer of six mil poly and then place two additional layers of six mil poly over the 7/16" plywood. iv)        Upon completion of the abatement operations, the carpeting shall be re-sampled (as described in subsection (f)(1)(C)(i) of this Section).  If the carpet is reported to contain asbestos fibers, the carpet shall be removed and disposed of as asbestos-containing waste. D)        Pre-clean fixed objects and specific equipment items which will remain within the proposed contained areas, using HEPA filtered vacuum equipment and/or wet cleaning methods as appropriate.  The fixed objects shall then be wrapped with a minimum of one layer of six mil poly or equivalent. E)        Pre-clean the proposed contained areas using HEPA filtered vacuum equipment and/or wet cleaning methods as appropriate.  Methods that raise dust, such as dry sweeping or vacuuming with equipment not equipped with HEPA filtration, are prohibited.  ACBM shall not be disturbed during pre-cleaning. 2)         Where no friable ACBM is present in the proposed contained area as defined in the asbestos management plan and/or Project Designer's specifications, and where the abatement work scheduled consists of nonfriable ACBM only, the following shall be conducted by the contractor: A)        Remove all movable objects from the proposed work area to a temporary location. B)        Wrap all fixed objects and specific equipment items which will remain in the proposed work areas with a minimum of one layer of six mil poly or equivalent. g)         Clean the proposed contained areas using HEPA filtered vacuum equipment and/or wet cleaning methods as appropriate.  Methods that raise dust, such as dry sweeping or vacuuming with equipment not equipped with HEPA filters, is prohibited. h)         Provide a worker decontamination enclosure system in accordance with Section 855.410 before ACBM is disturbed. i)          Cover the floor and wall surfaces in contained areas with plastic sheeting sealed with tape.  Use a minimum of two layers of six mil plastic or equivalent on floors (no plastic on the floor shall be required when the project includes removal of floor tile and associated mastic) and two layers of four mil plastic or equivalent on walls.  Cover floors first so that plastic extends at least 12 inches up on walls, then cover walls with plastic sheeting to the floor level, thus overlapping the floor material by a minimum of 12 inches.  The plastic shall be sized to minimize seams.  Seams shall be staggered and separated by a distance of at least six feet.  In hallways where asbestos materials are adjacent to lockers, sheeting shall extend to the top of the lockers. j)          Remove and clean ceiling-mounted objects such as light fixtures, electrical track, alarm systems, ventilation equipment and other items not previously sealed off, that interfere with asbestos material removal.  Use localized water spraying or HEPA filtered vacuum equipment during fixture removal to reduce fiber dispersal. k)         Ceiling tiles. 1)         Except as specified in subsection (k)(2) of this Section, suspended ceiling tiles and components shall remain in place until the contained area has been plasticized and worker and equipment decontamination enclosures are in place and then removed and disposed of as asbestos-contaminated waste. 2)         Where no friable ACBM is present in the proposed work area as defined in the asbestos management plan and/or project designer's specification, in lieu of removal and disposal of suspended ceiling tile and components, the following shall be conducted: A)        Suspended ceiling tiles and components may remain in the proposed work area if isolated from the proposed work area by erection of work place barriers consisting of a minimum of one layer of six mil poly or equivalent. B)        Suspended ceiling tiles may be removed from the proposed work area prior to erection of the work area decontamination unit.  Ceiling tiles may be stored in a temporary location and re-installed after acceptable final air clearance sampling has been completed and the contained area tear down is completed. l)          Maintain emergency and fire exits from the work areas or establish alternative exits. m)        Dispose of all materials inside the contained area (scrap poly, towels, spray cans, enclosure barriers, etc.) as ACBM, with the exception of tools, equipment, rubber boots, and other cleanable, reusable items.  Tools, equipment, and other reusable items shall be wet wiped and wrapped in six mil poly before removing them from the work area.