Asbestos Survey

Asbestos is a type of fibrous mineral used extensively in products and construction materials before its use was severely restricted in the 1970s. The mineral has been connected with numerous cases of serious lung disorders and certain types of cancer believed to be due to asbestos exposure. As a result of this, asbestos litigation became one of the first mass torts claims in history.

In answer, Congress enacted legal reforms, such as Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005, Congressional Record (February 7, 2005), and Senate Bill 852, designed to regulate the use of asbestos containing materials in certain industries as well as protect workers working in such industries from the risk of exposure.

As facility manager, you are responsible for the safety and health of those employees under you, whose job includes working in and around buildings. The aim is to minimize the risk of exposure in your facility. Thus, management, therefore, includes conducting asbestos surveys to check for the presence of asbestos as well as develop security and emergency preparedness in case of exposure.

What Asbestos Management Program Includes

Contrary to popular belief, not all asbestos containing materials (ACM) are harmful. If, during an asbestos survey, it is found that the ACM is in good condition, it is best to leave it that, taking only certain steps to ensure that it is not disturbed needlessly. However, before you can make sure that the ACM is properly maintained, you first need to check whether there is indeed asbestos within or around the facility. And to find out, you need to conduct an asbestos survey.

When conducting an asbestos survey, make sure that the process is in accordance with the ASTM International Standard E2356, recently published for Standard Practice for Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys.

After the asbestos survey, a risk assessment will have to be conducted as well. Make no mistake; risk assessment is different from asbestos survey. While the former involves assessing the ACM to determine whether its current condition would pose a risk to workers in the area, the latter deals simply with determining if there is asbestos in the area.

Still, after both processes are done, a report will have to be made. These two reports – from risk assessment and from asbestos survey – will serve as basis to draft a plan on how to mitigate the potential hazard in the most effective manner possible as well as a long-term plan to address the management of ACM in the place.

This plan is known as the O&M program and its purpose is to minimize exposure to asbestos. The program will provide policies specific to the facility and procedures on how to address the problem. In addition, the program will set up work practices in a way that does not disturb the ACM needlessly and thus maintain its good condition.