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(a) The worker decontamination enclosure system shall consist of, as a minimum, an equipment room, a shower room, and a clean room separated from each other and from the work area by curtained doorways. Equipment storage, personal gross decontamination and removal of disposable clothing shall occur in the equipment room prior to entering the shower. All other requirements set forth in 15 RCNY § 1-82 and 15 RCNY § 1-92 shall apply.
Part3: Work Place Procedures
The following procedures shall be followed during the conduct of abatement activities on asbestos projects:
(a) All asbestos projects shall utilize negative pressure ventilation equipment.
(1) On all asbestos projects, a manometer shall be used to document the pressure differential. The manometer shall be installed and made operational once the negative pressure has been established in the work area. Magnahelic manometers shall be calibrated at least every six months, and a copy of the current calibration certification shall be available at the work site.
(b) The negative pressure ventilation equipment shall operate continuously, 24 hours a day, from the establishment of isolation barriers through successful clearance air monitoring. If such equipment shuts off, adjacent areas shall be monitored for asbestos fibers.
(c) A static negative air pressure of 0.02 inches (minimum) water column shall be maintained at all times in the work place during abatement to ensure that contaminated air in the work area does not filter back to uncontaminated areas.
(d) If more than one ventilation unit is installed, units shall be turned on one at a time while checking the integrity of all barriers for secure attachment and the need for additional reinforcement.
(e) A dedicated power supply for the negative pressure ventilating units shall be utilized. The negative air equipment shall be on a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protected circuit separate from the remainder of the work area temporary power circuits.
(f) If the containment area of an asbestos project covers the entire floor of the affected building, or an area greater than 15,000 square feet on any given floor, the installation of a negative air cut off switch or switches shall be required at a single location outside the work place, such as inside a stairwell one floor below the lowest floor containing a work place, or at a secured location in the ground floor lobby when conditions warrant (such as when the work place is in a basement or below). The required switch or switches must be installed by a licensed electrician, pursuant to a permit issued by the Department of Buildings. If negative pressure ventilation equipment is used on multiple floors the cut off switch must be able to turn off the equipment on all floors.
(g) On loss of negative pressure or electric power to the negative pressure ventilating units, abatement shall stop immediately and shall not resume until power is restored and negative pressure ventilation equipment is operating again. When power failure or loss of negative pressure equipment lasts or is expected to last longer than one-half hour:
(1) the make-up air inlets shall be sealed airtight, and
(2) the decontamination systems shall be sealed airtight after the evacuation of workers and/or authorized visitors from the work area, and
(3) all adjacent areas shall be monitored for asbestos fiber concentration upon discovery of, and subsequently throughout, the power failure.
(h) Negative pressure ventilation equipment shall be installed and operated to provide at least one air change in the work area every 15 minutes. Where there are no floor or wall barriers because floor or wall material is being abated, there shall be at least one air change in the work area every ten minutes.
(i) Openings made in the isolation barrier to accommodate these units shall be made airtight. The units shall remain within the work area unless located securely outside the building.
(j) Negative air pressure equipment shall be in compliance with ANSI Z9.2 (2012), Local Exhaust Ventilation.
(k) Negative air pressure systems shall be operated in accordance with "Specifications and Operating Procedures for the Use of Negative Pressure Systems for Asbestos Abatement, Guidance for Controlling Asbestos-Containing Materials in Buildings", EPA Report Number 560/5-85-024 (1985).
(l) Negative pressure ventilation equipment shall be exhausted to the outside of the building away from occupied areas.
(1) All openings (including but not limited to operable windows, doors, vents, air intakes or exhausts of any mechanical devices) less than 15 feet from the exterior exhaust duct termination location shall be plasticized or made airtight, or a second negative pressure ventilation unit with the primary unit's capacity shall be connected in series prior to exhausting to the outside.
(2) Negative pressure ventilation equipment shall exhaust away from areas accessible to the public.
(3) All ducting must be sealed and braced or supported to maintain airtight joints. Ducts must be reinforced and must be installed so as to prevent breakage. Damage to ducts must be repaired immediately and air monitoring must be conducted in the affected space.
(m) Where ducting to the outside is not possible, a second negative pressure ventilation unit compatible with the primary unit's capacity shall be connected in series. The area receiving the exhaust shall have sufficient, non-recycling exhaust capacity to the outside of the structure, and must be a normally non-occupied area.
(n) Careful installation shall be done to ensure that the ducting does not release fibers into uncontaminated building areas.
(o) Routine smoke testing and daily inspection must be performed by the Asbestos Handler Supervisor to ensure that the ducting does not release fibers into uncontaminated building areas.
(Amended City Record 12/7/2018, eff. 1/6/2019; amended City Record 1/15/2025, eff. 2/14/2025)
The following procedures shall be followed during the conduct of abatement activities on asbestos projects:
(a) Entrance procedures.
(1) All workers and authorized visitors shall enter the work area through the worker decontamination enclosure system.
(2) All individuals who enter the work area shall sign the abatement contractor's log located in the clean room, upon each entry and exit. The abatement contractor's log shall be permanently bound and at a minimum shall identify fully the building owner, agents, contractor(s), the project, each work area and worker respiratory protection employed, and other pertinent information including daily activities, cleanings and waste transfers, names and certificate numbers of asbestos handler supervisors and asbestos handlers; results of inspections of decontamination systems, barriers, and negative pressure ventilation equipment; summary of corrective actions and repairs; work stoppages with reason for stoppage; manometer readings at least twice per work shift; daily checks of emergency and fire exits and any unusual events. The abatement contractor's log shall be available for examination during abatement activities by the Department, the owner and the workers. A copy of the abatement contractor's log shall be submitted directly to the Department within 72 hours of request.
(3) All individuals before entering the work area shall be familiar with all posted regulations, personal protection requirements and emergency procedures. The abatement contractor's log headings shall indicate, and the signatures shall be used to acknowledge, that the regulations and procedures have been reviewed and understood by all persons prior to entering the work area. The postings and abatement contractor's log headings shall be in English and in the language of the majority of the asbestos handlers.
(4) All individuals shall proceed first to the clean room, remove all street clothing, store these items in clean sealable plastic bags or a locker and don personal protective equipment. Clean personal protective equipment shall be provided by the abatement contractor and utilized by each individual for each separate entry into the work area.
(b) Exit procedures.
(1) Before leaving the work area, each individual shall remove the gross contamination from the outside of the respirators and protective clothing by wet cleaning, and/or HEPA vacuuming.
(2) In the equipment room, all personal protective equipment except respirators shall be removed. Disposable clothing shall be deposited into labeled containers for disposal. Reusable contaminated clothing, footwear, and/or head gear shall be stored in the equipment room when not in use.
(3) Still wearing a respirator, each person shall proceed to the shower room, clean the outside of the respirator and the exposed face area under running water prior to removal of the respirator, and then fully and vigorously shower and shampoo to remove residual asbestos contamination. Respirators shall be washed thoroughly with soap and water or a suitable sanitizing agent. Various types of respirators may require slight modification of these procedures.
(4) After showering and drying, personnel shall proceed to the clean room and don clean disposable clothing if returning to the work area or street clothing if remaining outside the work area.
(c) When abatement activities are located in a confined space the contractor must comply with all the requirements set forth in OSHA 29 C.F.R. 1910.146.and 1926.21(a) and (b).
(Amended City Record 12/7/2018, eff. 1/6/2019; amended City Record 4/28/2022, eff. 5/28/2022)
The following procedures shall be followed whenever equipment or containers are removed from the work area during an asbestos project:
(a) When the worker decontamination enclosure system shown in Illustration I alternates as a waste decontamination enclosure system, the clean room shall be considered a holding area during the period of active waste transfer only for the purpose of the loading of carts. Storage of waste and carts in the clean room is prohibited.
(b) Where the waste decontamination enclosure system is part of the worker decontamination enclosure system (see Illustration III), waste removal shall not occur during worker shift changes or when workers are showering or changing. Care shall be taken to prevent short circuiting and cycling of air outward through the shower and clean room.
(c) Where only one means of egress exists and the shower room is used as a waste washroom, workers are to be stationed in each room/area of the decontamination enclosure to transfer/process (see subdivisions (d), (h) and (I) of this section) the containers and equipment to or from adjacent sections. These workers are not to cross into the adjacent areas/rooms until the waste/equipment transfer is finished for that period and the workers have gone through decontaminations required by 15 RCNY § 1-92. The clean room/holding area workers shall have entered from uncontaminated areas with appropriate personal protective equipment; or prior to the start of waste transfer, these workers shall have exited the work area, fully decontaminated, and subsequently donned clean personal protective equipment.
(d) External surfaces of contaminated containers and equipment shall be cleaned by wet cleaning and/or HEPA vacuuming in the work area before transferring such items into the decontamination enclosure system. Contaminated workers shall not enter the washroom during this procedure.
(e) The cleaned containers of ACM and equipment shall be recontainerized (double-bagged) by either placing them in uncontaminated leak-tight plastic bags or sheeting as the item's physical characteristics demand while in the washroom of the waste decontamination enclosure system. Air volume shall be minimized and the bags of sheeting shall be sealed. Items that may puncture or tear the plastic bags or sheeting shall be placed in a hardwall container and sealed.
(f) The clean recontainerized items shall be moved into the airlock for subsequent transfer to the holding area. The washroom workers shall not enter this airlock or the work area until waste removal is finished for that period.
(g) Recontainerized items and cleaned equipment shall be removed from the airlock to the holding area by workers who have entered from uncontaminated areas with appropriate personal protective equipment.
(h) The recontainerized items of ACM and cleaned, bagged equipment shall be placed in open top, watertight plastic carts. These carts shall be held in the holding area pending removal. The carts shall be HEPA vacuumed or wet-cleaned following the removal of the containers of ACM from them.
(i) The exit from the waste decontamination enclosure system shall be secured to prevent unauthorized entry.
(j) The carts shall be stored in a holding area of the work site.
The following procedures shall be followed during the conduct of abatement activities on asbestos projects:
(a) All plastic barriers inside the work place and partitions constructed to isolate the work area from occupied areas shall be inspected by the asbestos handler supervisor at least twice per shift.
(b) Smoke tubes shall be used to test the integrity of the work area barriers and the decontamination enclosure systems daily at a minimum both before abatement activity begins and at the end of each shift. A visual inspection of the barriers, including the use of differential manometers, shall be considered acceptable as a back-up test.
(c) Damage and defects in the decontamination enclosure system shall be repaired immediately. The decontamination enclosure system shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition at all times.
(d) At any time during the abatement activity, if visible emissions are observed, or elevated asbestos fiber counts outside the work area are measured, or if damage occurs to barriers, abatement shall stop. The source of the contamination shall be located, the integrity of the barriers shall be restored, and visible residue shall be cleaned up using appropriate HEPA vacuuming and wet cleaning procedures immediately.
(e) Inspections (including all inspections and testing required by subdivision (b) of this section), observations, and unusual incidents (e.g. barrier damage, contamination beyond the work area, etc.) must be documented in the abatement contractor’s log by the asbestos handler supervisor and in the project air sampling log.
(f) The daily inspection to ensure that exits have been checked against exterior blockage or impediments to exiting as per 15 RCNY § 1-81(t) shall be documented in the abatement contractor's log.
(g) If exits are found blocked, abatement activities shall stop until the blockage is cleared.
(Amended City Record 4/28/2022, eff. 5/28/2022; amended City Record 1/15/2025, eff. 2/14/2025)
Part 4: Abatement Procedures
The following procedures shall be followed during the conduct of abatement activities:
(a) Abatement of asbestos-containing materials shall be by wet methods. ACM shall not be removed or disturbed without being adequately wet. Dry removal of asbestos-containing material is prohibited, unless EPA approval has been obtained. The EPA-approved alternate removal plan shall be submitted to the Department for approval a minimum of 15 days before work is scheduled to begin or begins. The plan shall explain and justify why ACM must be removed dry and how asbestos fibers will be controlled to prevent their release.
(b) When amended water is used, the ACM must be sprayed with sufficient frequency and quantity for enhanced penetration. Sufficient time must be allowed for penetration to occur prior to removal action or other disturbance taking place. Accumulation of standing or free water is prohibited. Soft loosely bound ACM must be saturated. Material that resists wetting, such as tremolite or amosite, must be thoroughly wetted on all surfaces while work is being conducted.
(c) When used, removal encapsulants that minimize fiber generation and enhance penetration, shall be applied per manufacturer's specifications and in accordance with federal guidelines.
(d) ACM on detachment from the substrate is to be bagged directly or dropped onto a flexible catch basin and promptly bagged. Detached ACM is not permitted to lie on the floor for any period of time. Excess air in the bag must be minimized and the bag must be sealed. Material that resists wetting must not be dropped. ACM must not be dropped from a height greater than 10 feet. Above 10 feet in height dust-free enclosed inclined chutes may only be used inside a work area that is under negative pressure. Vertical chutes are prohibited. The angle of the chute must not exceed 60 degrees from horizontal.
(e) Large components removed intact that cannot be containerized shall be maintained wet, wrapped (minimizing excess air) in at least one layer of fire retardant 6-mil polyethylene sheeting, and secured by sealing with tape.
(f) After completion of all stripping work, surfaces from which asbestos-containing materials have been removed shall be cleaned (e.g. wet-brushed and/or wet-cleaned) to remove all visible residue.
(Amended City Record 12/7/2018, eff. 1/6/2019; amended City Record 4/28/2022, eff. 5/28/2022)
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