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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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