California Code of Regulations › Title 8 - Industrial Relations › Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations › Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety › Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders › Group 16 - Control of Hazardous Substances › Article 110 - Regulated Carcinogens › Appendix G - Substance Technical Information for Asbestos Non-Mandatory

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
I. Substance Identification
A. Substance: "Asbestos" is the name of a class of
						  magnesium-silicate minerals that occur in fibrous form. Minerals that are
						  included in this group are chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite
						  asbestos, tremolite asbestos, and actinolite asbestos.
B. Asbestos is used in the manufacture of
						  heat-resistant clothing, automotive brake and clutch linings, and a variety of
						  building materials including floor tiles, roofing felts, ceiling tiles,
						  asbestos-cement pipe and sheet, and fire-resistant drywall. Asbestos is also
						  present in pipe and boiler insulation materials, and in sprayed-on materials
						  located on beams, in crawlspaces, and between walls.
C. The potential for an asbestos-containing product to
						  release breathable fibers depends on its degree of friability. "Friable" means
						  that the material can be crumbled with hand pressure and is therefore likely to
						  emit fibers. The fibrous fluffy sprayed-on materials used for fireproofing,
						  insulation, or sound proofing are considered to be friable, and they readily
						  release airborne fibers if disturbed. Materials such as vinyl-asbestos floor
						  tile or roofing felt are considered non-friable if intact and generally do not
						  emit airborne fibers unless subjected to sanding, sawing and other aggressive
						  operations. Asbestos-cement pipe or sheet can emit airborne fibers if the
						  materials are cut or sawed, or if they are broken.
D. Permissible exposure: Exposure to airborne asbestos
						  fibers may not exceed 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of air (0.1 f/cc)
						  averaged over the 8-hour workday, and 1 fiber per cubic centimeter of air (1.0
						  f/cc) averaged over a 30 minute work period.
II. Health Hazard Data
A. Asbestos can cause disabling respiratory disease and
						  various types of cancers if the fibers are inhaled. Inhaling or ingesting
						  fibers from contaminated clothing or skin can also result in these diseases.
						  The symptoms of these diseases generally do not appear for 20 or more years
						  after initial exposure.
B. Exposure to asbestos has been shown to cause lung
						  cancer, mesothelioma, and cancer of the stomach and colon. Mesothelioma is a
						  rare cancer of the thin membrane lining of the chest and abdomen. Symptoms of
						  mesothelioma include shortness of breath, pain in the walls of the chest,
						  and/or abdominal pain.
III. Respirators and Protective Clothing
A. Respirators: You are required to wear a respirator
						  when performing tasks that result in asbestos exposure that exceeds the
						  permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 0.1 f/cc and when performing certain
						  designated operations. Air-purifying respirators equipped with a
						  high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter can be used where airborne
						  asbestos fiber concentrations do not exceed 1.0 f/cc; otherwise, more
						  protective respirators such as air-supplied, positive-pressure, full facepiece
						  respirators must be used. Disposable respirators or dust masks are not
						  permitted to be used for asbestos work. For effective protection, respirators
						  must fit your face and head snugly. Your employer is required to conduct fit
						  tests when you are first assigned a respirator and annually thereafter.
						  Respirators should not be loosened or removed in work situations where their
						  use is required.
B. Protective Clothing: You are required to wear
						  protective clothing in work areas where asbestos concentrations exceed the
						  permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 0.1 f/cc.
IV. Disposal Procedures and Clean-up
A. Wastes that are generated by processes where
						  asbestos is present include:
1. Empty asbestos shipping containers.
2. Process wastes such as cuttings, trimmings, or
						  reject material.
3. Housekeeping waste from wet-sweeping or
						  HEPA-vacuuming.
4. Asbestos fireproofing or insulating material that is
						  removed from buildings.
5. Asbestos-containing building products removed during
						  building renovation or demolition.
6. Contaminated disposable protective clothing.
B. Empty shipping bags can be flattened under exhaust
						  hoods and packed into airtight containers for disposal. Empty shipping drums
						  are difficult to clean and should be sealed.
C. Vacuum bags or disposable paper filters should not
						  be cleaned, but should be sprayed with a fine water mist and placed into a
						  labeled waste container.
D. Process waste and housekeeping waste should be
						  wetted with water, or a mixture of water, and surfactant prior to packaging in
						  disposable containers.
E. Asbestos-containing material that is removed from
						  buildings must be disposed of in leak-tight 6-mil plastic bags, plastic-lined
						  cardboard containers, or plastic-lined metal containers. These wastes, which
						  are removed while wet, should be sealed in containers before they dry out to
						  minimize the release of asbestos fibers during handling.
V. Access to Information
A. Each year, your employer is required to inform you
						  of the information contained in this standard, and appendices, for asbestos. In
						  addition, your employer must instruct you in the proper work practices for
						  handling asbestos-containing materials, and the correct use of protective
						  equipment.
B. Your employer is required to determine whether you
						  are being exposed to asbestos. Your employer must treat exposure to thermal
						  system insulation and sprayed-on and troweled-on surfacing material as asbestos
						  exposure, unless results of laboratory analysis show that the material does not
						  contain asbestos. You or your representative has the right to observe employee
						  measurements and to record the results obtained. Your employer is required to
						  inform you of your exposure, and, if you are exposed above the permissible
						  exposure limit, he or she is required to inform you of the actions that are
						  being taken to reduce your exposure to within the permissible limit.
C. Your employer is required to keep records of your
						  exposures and medical examinations. These exposure records must be kept for at
						  least thirty (30) years, Medical records must be kept for the period of your
						  employment plus thirty (30) years.
D. Your employer is required to release your exposure
						  and medical records to your physician or designated representative upon your
						  written request.
1. New
						  Appendix G to section
						  5208 filed 2-15-91; operative
						  2-15-91 pursuant to Government Code section
						  11346.2(d)
						  (Register 91, No. 19).
2. Editorial correction of HISTORY 1.
						  (Register 91, No. 45).
3. Amendment of appendix and NOTE filed
						  5-3-96; operative 7-3-96 (Register 96, No. 18).
4. Change without
						  regulatory effect amending section III.A. of appendix G filed 12-23-99 pursuant
						  to section 100, title 1, California Code of
						  Regulations (Register 99, No. 52).
Note: Authority cited: Section
							 142.3, Labor
							 Code. Reference: Section
							 142.3, Labor
							 Code.