Regulatory Compliance > Asbestos
Since its inception EPS has been providing professional and effective solutions to clients who seek to survey, manage or abate asbestos. The staff includes EPA/AHERA/ASHARA accredited asbestos inspectors, accredited asbestos management planners and project designers. EPS commonly provides professional services to commercial and industrial entities. Professional services include asbestos surveys, abatement project design, abatement monitoring, contractor selection assistance, hazard awareness training, operations and maintenance programs, emergency response, and litigation support.
From being able monitor, visually inspect and clear a small abatement project, to writing a detailed specification for a multi-site asbestos abatement project, EPS’s consulting staff is experienced and capable of handling projects large or small. The staff has a very diverse experience base, with consultants that have worked in virtually every type of structure imaginable, under a variety of conditions. Asbestos related services include:
- Asbestos Surveys
- Asbestos Abatement Project Design
- Abatement Monitoring
- Contractor Selection Assistance
- Hazard Awareness Training
- Operations and Maintenance Programs
Asbestos Surveys
Accurate and reliable building inspections are carried out by highly experienced EPA accredited consultants. Each consultant has a comprehensive knowledge of asbestos issues ranging from analytical methods, to identifying suspect asbestos containing materials in a building. Their understanding of building construction and materials facilitates inspections of Thermal System Insulations (TSI), roofing, mechanical and HVAC systems, dust, vinyl floor tiles, acoustical products, and other potential hazardous materials. Results can be presented in customized building inspection reports with AutoCAD® drawings, which provide a solid foundation for making management or abatement decisions.
Asbestos Abatement Consulting Services
Comprehensive asbestos abatement consulting services are offered including specification development, inspection and documentation of work practices, air monitoring and clearance sampling. Emphasis is placed on personnel protection, secure containment, and safe abatement practices.
In-Place Asbestos Containing Material Management
Schools K-12 are required by federal EPA to identify and manage asbestos containing building material (ACBM) through a systematic and effective Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Plan. EPS accredited Management Planners can audit facility records to identify deficiencies, conduct additional surveys(if required) and hazard assessments of the ACBM, develop or update an O&M Plan that meets AHERA requirements and submit it to the LEA. EPS accredited management Planners can also determine proper response if the ACBM poses a hazard and work with the LEA in determining cost associated with the response action. EPS can also implement a system of record keeping and tracking which is paramount to the existence of the O&M Plan.
Introduction to Asbestos
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral fiber found in rocks. There are several types of asbestos fibers, all of which are lightweight, fire resistant, and not easily destroyed by natural processes. Because of these characteristics, asbestos was widely used in construction and thermal insulation until the final ban and phase out of 1989. Frequently, asbestos fibers are mixed with materials that bind them together producing asbestos containing material (ACM).
What are the health risks?
The EPA has determined that there is no completely safe level of exposure to asbestos. Exposure to asbestos occurs when its fibers are released into the air and inhaled. While they are not visible (approximately 600 asbestos fibers bundled together equal the thickness of a human hair), these fibers can be deadly.
The danger occurs when smaller fibers in the air become embedded in the lungs, and the body has no way to remove them. Usually, symptoms do not appear for 20 or more years after the first exposure. Unfortunately, long before any effects are detectable, asbestos-related diseases often reach the incurable stage. Exposure to asbestos increases the risk of lung cancer in individuals who smoke by five times. Each exposure to asbestos increases an individual’s risk of acquiring asbestos-related diseases
Where is asbestos found?
Asbestos is likely to be found in buildings constructed before 1979 and almost certain to be present in those built before 1950. Asbestos was often sprayed or trowelled on ceilings, structural members and walls for thermal, acoustical, and decorative purposes. It may also be found in insulation for stoves, furnaces, boilers, pipes, walls and ceilings. Vinyl floor tiles, sheet flooring, patching compounds, cement shingles, artificial fireplace logs, and textured paints are other areas where asbestos was commonly used.
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