Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys

Based on the ASTM E2356 Standard Practice for Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys, this program tells you how to get the information needed to effectively manage asbestos-containing materials. It covers

• Baseline Surveys to provide information for long-term management of ACM and prioritizing response actions
• Sampling techniques for common building materials, including video clips, and required analytical techniques
• Assessment protocols featuring the quantitative method using the Abatement vs O&M Chart to prioritize removal decisions
• Project Design Surveys to provide information for preparing plans and specifications for an abatement project

The program follows E2356 in going above and beyond the “AHERA surveys” that are by comparison limited in scope. A Comprehensive Building Asbestos Survey requires sampling all suspect materials whether they are located inside or outside the building and requires assessment of all ACM – friable and non-friable. The program explains the use of an assessment protocol that is more realistic and flexible than any developed previously.

A set of 30 Examination Questions covers all of the material in this program and may be used for examinations given as part of inspector, management planner, project designer and other courses. The questions are in multiple-choice format in an MS Word file with the correct answers indicated. See an example.

A set of Assessment Templates helps you construct an Abatement vs O&M Decision Chart based on the numerical ratings of the Current Condition and Potential for Disturbance of the ACM, taking into considerations factors affecting your own asbestos management program.

Here is a brief preview of some of the Powerpoint slides and video clips

A Comprehensive Building Asbestos Survey includes materials outside a building such as roofing materials and cooling towers, which are not covered by an “AHERA survey.”	A Baseline Survey covers the entire building except for areas specifically excluded in the scope of work.	A Baseline Survey covers all accessible locations, which would include these ceiling plenums. Locations are inspected if "destructive testing" is not required for entry..
Locations may be excluded from inspection for safety reasons or because equipment is operating and cannot be shut down.	Random sampling is used to determine sampling locations. At least three samples are required for any type of suspect material.	An appendix to ASTM E2356 contains detailed sampling procedures for eighteen types of friable and non-friable suspect materials. Several of these are explained in the program.
Wallboard systems are complex and require special sampling and analysis techniques, which are explained in detail.	Textured ceiling finish and textured paint are surfacing materials commonly found in commercial and residential buildings.	Bulk samples are analyzed by Polarized Light Microscopy. ASTM E2356 discourages the use of "positive stop" as a means of reducing the cost of a survey.
E2356 requires confirmation of negative results for non-friable organically bound materials such as floor tile by Transmission Electron Microscopy.	Click on the picture to see part of the video clip on sampling floor tile. Videos of sampling pipe insulation and textured ceiling finish are also included.	The quantitative assessment protocol in E2356 is a significant improvement over the “AHERA protocol” required for schools.
Current condition is rated on the extent of visible damage and debris to define the risk of exposure as it exists when the assessment is conducted.	Potential for disturbance is rated on a combination of physical and environmental factors. Accessibility and activity are physical factors.	Environmental factors include water leaks, vibration, air & dust erosion and chemical corrosion -- which of course is not part of the "AHERA protocol."
The pipes are in good condition and likely to remain so, while the tank is exactly the opposite. Other examples are given in the program	The ratings are plotted on a chart to prioritize the different asbestos-containing materials for abatement. ACM below the line can continue to be managed in place.	The program illustrates this further with examples of TSI that are plotted on a chart. A template you cna use for a class exercise is provided.
A Project Design Survey is restricted to the areas in which abatement is planned. The “limits of abatement” may extend outside a room containing the ACM to be removed.	In a Project Design Survey walls and chases are breached to locate suspect materials in concealed spaces. This is called “destructive testing.”	Some of the information needed to prepare the plans and specifications has nothing to do with sampling results. Identifying emergency exits that must remain accessible is one example.

Sample Examination Question

A Baseline Survey according to ASTM E2356 would require sampling and assessing
a. Ceiling plaster
b. Roof flashings
c. Cooling towers
d. All of the above

The CD contains a Powerpoint presentation in four parts and the files for an illustrated and scripted Instructor’s Guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, as well as Examination Questions in MS Word. Use the on-line Order Form or call toll-free to (800) 668-1368.

This program is available with the Managing the Asbestos Abatement Project training program on the same CD -- save $$$! SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: IBM-PC, Windows 98 or higher, 100 MB available hard drive space (for back-up), Microsoft Powerpoint™ 2000 or later, or Microsoft Powerpoint viewer, Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher. The software for Powerpoint, Powerpoint viewer, Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Reader is not included on the CD. Powerpoint viewer and Adobe Acrobat Reader may be downloaded from the Microsoft and Adobe websites.

E2356 is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. It may be purchased on-line at www.astm.org or by calling (610) 832-9585. The Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys Powerpoint program does not include a copy of ASTM E2356 Standard Practice for Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys.

“Comprehensive Building Asbestos Surveys” Powerpoint program © 2004 Environment-i-media, Inc. All rights reserved. Powerpoint and Acrobat are trademarks of Microsoft and Adobe Systems, respectively.