Asbestos Abatement

Proper asbestos abatement entails several steps:

• Air samples are taken by technician from a reputable independent testing firm. Samples are taken both inside the work area and directly outside it, both prior to abatement and after it has been completed.
• A containment field is set up around the hazardous area, sealing it off from the rest of the building.
• Negative pressure machines are set up, tested, and continuously operated throughout abatement and remediation processes.
• Electrical and HVAC systems within the work area are disabled.
• Decontamination enclosure areas are created.
• Critical seals are placed over all openings.
• Objects that can’t be moved are HEPA vacuumed, wet wiped and sealed under plastic sheeting.
• Walls, ceilings and floors not being abated are sealed.
• Hazard/Asbestos notification signs are placed at entrances and exits.
• Inspection by Project Manager and/or Supervisors of pre-abatement containment conditions, followed by wait period to remove asbestos fibers already present in the air, before removal can begin.
• Abatement team changes into suits, masks, gloves, boots and respiratory protection, per OSHA requirements.
• Wet removal of asbestos using hand tools and starting from the top-down, removing the most friable (crumbling) materials first.
• Asbestos is placed in gooseneck secured waste bags and sealed, to be held in a waste decon unit, labeled and protected from the public, until the asbestos is disposed of off-site at a designated facility.
• In some instances, removal is not the only means of asbestos abatement. Asbestos and asbestos-bearing materials may be “enclosed” or “encapsulated” to prevent building occupants from being exposed to the fibers.