Asbestos Surveys

EPA requires asbestos inspections and agency notification prior to most building renovations and demolitions. Further, OSHA requires that building owners provide employees, contractors, and tenants with information concerning the presence and locations of asbestos-containing materials in buildings. Because building owners are required to presume that certain materials contain asbestos when making notifications, notification is applicable to all known and suspect asbestos-containing materials.

Asbestos surveys are conducted as stand-alone inspections or as part of Environmental Site Assessments. ECA has performed hundreds of asbestos surveys at residential, commercial, and industrial facilities. ECA uses only AHERA Accredited Building Inspectors for asbestos surveys. Our inspectors are familiar with the proper sampling and analytical procedures to ensure that regulatory requirements are satisfied.

To generate our reports, ECA uses state-of-the-art computer aided design (CAD) and database management software to catalog ACM and presumed ACM locations and quantities. Our experience has shown that on simple and complex projects alike, these applications provide greater consistency, accuracy, and efficiency in compiling, reporting and retrieving survey results.

ASBESTOS PROGRAM AND DATA MANAGEMENT

To maintain OSHA and EPA asbestos compliance, many ECA clients maintain asbestos survey, inspection, and abatement information in their facility records or in databases containing building information. To support client records and databases, ECA routinely creates, updates, and provides electronic GIS, CAD attribute, and database files to clients for integration into facilities operations and management programs. ECA is familiar with many different data file formats and can tailor data file formats to the client's specific needs and requirements.

ASBESTOS OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE PLANS

Operations and Maintenance Plans (O&M Plans) are required for schools, but are not specifically required for commercial buildings. However, an Operations and Maintenance Plan is the most efficient way of maintaining asbestos compliance. A typical O&M Plan will contain a listing of known and presumed asbestos containing materials and quantities installed in a building or facility. A typical O&M Plan will also contain work practices and procedures for avoiding exposures and minimizing owner liability. ECA recommends that all O&M Plans contain a work permitting program to provide a mechanism for the O&M coordinator to be aware of all work in a building or facility that may involve disturbing asbestos-containing materials.

ASBESTOS ABATEMENT DESIGN AND MONITORING

When asbestos response actions are required, ECA has experienced AHERA Accredited design professionals to assist with abatement project design and monitoring. Our experienced asbestos project designers can prepare specifications and bid documents, conduct baseline air monitoring, monitor projects for OSHA and EPA compliance, verify that materials have been removed and properly disposed, and can conduct closure air monitoring.

ASBESTOS AIR MONITORING

Our air monitoring services include monitoring indoor and outdoor ambient air asbestos fiber concentrations. ECA samples and analyzes data to determine if airborne asbestos concentrations are below acceptable limits established by OSHA and EPA. ECA has successfully utilized air monitoring to ensure compliance with OSHA regulations, to ensure that abatement procedures have been properly performed, and that work areas have been cleaned to acceptable standards.