Campus Safety and Security

Asbestos Management

Section: Campus Safety and Security Policies
Policy Name: Asbestos Management
Policy Owner: Executive Vice President
Responsible University Office: Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Origination Date: June 26, 1996
Revisions: January 13, 2006
Legacy Policy Number: 7-42
  1. PURPOSETo ensure that asbestos exposures of all University personnel, students, guests, visitors, and contract personnel are minimized by assuring that all activities that may impact, disturb or dislodge asbestos containing materials and all building conditions that could allow exposure to asbestos fibers are conducted and abated, respectively, in a manner consistent with established safety practices.
  2. LIMITATIONSThis policy and the associated Asbestos Management Plan is established to address the health concerns posed by exposure to asbestos in University owned and/or occupied buildings.
  3. DEFINITIONS
    1. Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) – any material containing more than one percent asbestos. Common examples of ACM include but are not limited to: pipe and boiler insulation, sprayed on fireproofing, troweled on acoustical plaster, floor tile and mastic, floor linoleum, transite shingles, roofing materials, wall and ceiling plaster, ceiling tiles, and gasket materials.
    2. Presumed Asbestos Containing Material – any thermal or surfacing materials present in buildings constructed prior to 1980 that are assumed to contain greater than one percent asbestos but have not been sampled or analyzed to verify or negate the presence of asbestos as defined by the OSHA Asbestos Standard.
    3. Small Operations and Maintenance Activity – any activity conducted by the University’s in-house asbestos team that requires the abatement of less than 25 linear feet or 10 square feet of known or assumed asbestos containing materials.
    4. Suspect Asbestos Containing Materials – any material that may contain more than one percent asbestos but has not been sampled and tested to determine its asbestos content.
  4. POLICY
    1. The Department of Environmental Health and Safety (DEHS) shall write and maintain an Asbestos Management Plan which establishes an asbestos operations and maintenance program and procedural document for the University. The Department of Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for the management and implementation of the Asbestos Management Plan.
    2. Prior to the start of any renovation and/or demolition project, excluding small operations and maintenance activities, the DEHS must be contacted to coordinate a survey for suspect and known asbestos containing materials in the project area. Any suspect asbestos containing material identified in the project area that may be impacted or disturbed must be either sampled and tested to determine its asbestos content following established protocols or assumed to contain asbestos and managed as an asbestos containing material. Small operations and maintenance activities do not need to be coordinated through the DEHS.
    3. Any materials that are known and/or identified to be ACM and will be impacted or disturbed as a result of renovation or demolition activity must be properly abated in accordance with University specifications; State of Delaware Regulations Governing the Control of Asbestos Containing Materials; Environmental Protection Agency NESHAP Regulations; and Environmental Safety and Health Administration Asbestos Standards.
    4. Asbestos abatement projects, excluding small operations and maintenance activities, must be coordinated, supervised and monitored by the DEHS and/or the University’s approved term consultant. Small operations and maintenance activities do not need to be supervised and monitored unless they are completed in public areas. Examples of public areas include but are not limited to offices, classrooms, auditoriums, conference rooms, hallways, bathrooms, living spaces, common building areas and laboratories. Any exceptions to the supervision and monitoring requirement must be determined on a case by case basis by the DEHS.
    5. The DEHS shall require that specific University employees receive asbestos awareness training and annual refresher training thereafter. They shall also be responsible for determining which job classifications are subject to training.
    6. University employees who are required to perform asbestos abatement activities, covered under EPA’s NESHAP Regulations must be certified by the State of Delaware as asbestos abatement supervisors/workers.
    7. University employees who are required to perform operations and maintenance activities involving asbestos containing materials must be certified by the State of Delaware for these operations. Any University employee or sub-contractor that identifies any damaged, suspect or known asbestos containing materials shall notify the DEHS immediately upon identification. The DEHS will assess the situation, arrange for the appropriate corrective actions, and notify the regulatory agencies as necessary.
    8. Asbestos consultants that may be contracted by the University to prepare asbestos abatement specifications, conduct facility surveys for ACM, monitor asbestos abatement projects and analyze bulk and air asbestos samples shall be pre-approved by the DOHS.
    9. Asbestos abatement contractors that may be contracted by the University to complete asbestos abatement projects shall be pre-approved by the DEHS.

For further information or copies of the Asbestos Management Plan, please contact Environmental Health and Safety, ext 8475.