Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 216 - Department of health › Chapter 50 - Environmental health › Subchapter 15 - HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT › Part 1 - Asbestos Control › Section 216-RICR-50-15-1.14 - Work Practice Requirements

Current through June 14, 2024
1.14.1
Applicability
Any Asbestos Contractor that engages in any Asbestos
					 Abatement Project that involves greater than ten (10) linear feet (three (3)
					 meters) of pipe covered or coated with asbestos containing material or twenty
					 five (25) square feet (three (3) square meters) of asbestos containing material
					 used to cover or coat any surface other than pipe shall comply with the work
					 practices contained in §
											1.14   of this Part and any
					 additional work practice requirements contained in the asbestos abatement plan
					 approved for that project by the Director of Health. Specific requirements for
					 Category I and Category II Nonfriable ACM that is not Regulated Asbestos
					 Containing Material (RACM) are contained in §§ 1.14.8 and 1.15 of
					 this Part.
1.14.2
General Requirements for Removal, Encapsulation and/or Enclosure of
				  Regulated Asbestos Containing Material (RACM)
A. Barriers to isolate contaminated from
				  uncontaminated areas shall be constructed of polyethylene sheeting attached
				  securely in place.
B. All surfaces
				  shall be wet cleaned of dust or debris. Wet cleaning of contaminated items
				  shall be performed if necessary. All movable objects shall be removed from the
				  work area. All nonmovable objects in the work area shall be covered with 6-mil
				  polyethylene sheeting secured in place. All openings or penetrations between
				  the work area and uncontaminated areas shall be sealed, including windows,
				  doorways, elevator openings, corridor entrances, drains, ducts, grills, grates,
				  diffusers and skylights.
C. Floor
				  sheeting shall consist of two (2) layers of 6-mil polyethylene sheeting. Floor
				  sheeting shall extend up sidewalls at least twelve (12) inches and be sized to
				  minimize seams. No seams shall be located at wall/floor joints. Floors being
				  abated of resilient floor coverings and associated mastics/adhesives shall be
				  exempt from this requirement.
D.
				  Wall sheeting shall consist of two (2) layers of 4-mil polyethylene sheeting.
				  It shall be installed to minimize joints and shall extend beyond wall/floor
				  joint at least twelve (12) inches. No seams shall be located at wall/wall
				  joints.
E. A worker decontamination
				  enclosure system, consisting of a clean room, shower room and equipment room,
				  each separated from each other and from the work area by airlocks and
				  accessible through doorways protected with two (2) overlapping polyethylene
				  sheets, shall be provided in accordance with OSHA
				   29 C.F.R. §
												1926.1101(j) incorporated by reference at §
											1.2(A)   of
				  this Part. Procedures for the utilization of this system shall be established
				  which prevent contamination of areas outside the work area.
F. All HVAC equipment in or passing through
				  the work area shall be shut down and locked out. All intake and exhaust
				  openings, as well as any seams in system components shall be sealed with 6-mil
				  polyethylene sheeting and/or tape. All system filters shall be replaced after
				  the abatement and disposed of as asbestos waste. The ventilation system
				  ductwork interiors shall be decontaminated whenever necessary.
G. Posting
1. Warning signs in accordance with OSHA
				   29 C.F.R. §
													1926.1101(k)(7)  incorporated
				  by reference at §
												1.2(A)   of
				  this Part shall be displayed at all approaches to any location where airborne
				  fiber levels can be expected to exceed the Indoor Non-Occupational Air Exposure
				  Standard established by §
												1.5   of this Part.
2. Warning signs to advise the public of the
				  location(s) within the building where any asbestos abatement activity is in
				  progress shall be posted at all building entrances and at least one other
				  conspicuous place per floor. These signs shall be of the same dimensions as the
				  Warning/Danger signs required in § 1.14.2(G)(1) of this Part.
3. Warning signs shall be posted on vehicles
				  used to transport Asbestos Containing Waste Materials during loading and
				  unloading of the waste.
H. Clean-up procedures using HEPA vacuuming
				  and wet cleaning techniques shall be performed following abatement. Wet
				  cleaning shall be followed by HEPA vacuuming after surfaces have been allowed
				  to dry. The sequence of wet cleaning and vacuuming shall be repeated at
				  twenty-four (24) hour intervals until no visible residue is observed in the
				  work area.
I. Negative pressure
				  ventilation units with HEPA filtration, in sufficient number to provide one (1)
				  workplace air change every fifteen (15) minutes, shall be operated continuously
				  from the time of barrier construction through the time acceptable final
				  clearance air-monitoring results are obtained. These units shall exhaust
				  filtered air to the outside of the building. Filtered air shall not be
				  exhausted to uncontaminated interior spaces.
J. All Asbestos Containing Waste Materials
				  shall be adequately wetted before being placed into containers for
				  disposal.
K. Asbestos Containing
				  Waste Materials shall be placed in impermeable containers for disposal. Metal
				  or fiber drums with locking-ring tops shall be used when asbestos waste
				  contains sharp edged components. Double polyethylene bags of at least 6-mil
				  thickness and which can be securely sealed may be used for waste. Large
				  components or structural members may be removed intact and contained in
				  leak-tight wrapping, equivalent to at least two (2) layers of 6-mil
				  polyethylene sheeting, secured with tape for disposal.
L. All containers, bags, drums and wrapped
				  components shall be labeled so that labels have the appearance of or are
				  constructed in accordance with USDOT  49 C.F.R. 172, Subpart E incorporated by
				  reference at §
											1.2(D)   of
				  this Part and OSHA
				   29 C.F.R. §
												1926.1101(k)(8)  incorporated
				  by reference at §
											1.2(A)   of
				  this Part. Each container, bag, drum or wrapped component shall also be labeled
				  or tagged with the name and license number of the asbestos contractor
				  generating the waste, as well as the asbestos abatement project number and
				  location at which the waste was generated.
M. Storage of asbestos waste containers
				  awaiting transport to an authorized disposal facility shall be in a secured
				  location to prevent access by unauthorized personnel.
N. Transport and disposal of asbestos waste
				  shall be in accordance with the provisions of Appendix D to  40 C.F.R. 763,
				  Subpart E incorporated by reference at §
											1.2(E)   of
				  this Part and USDOT 49 C.F.R. § 173.1300 incorporated by reference at
				  §
											1.2(F)   of
				  this Part.
O. Disposal of Asbestos
				  Containing Waste Materials. All Asbestos Containing Waste Materials shall be
				  deposited as soon as is practical by the waste generator at:
1. A waste disposal site operated in
				  accordance with the provisions of
				   40 C.F.R. §
													61.154, or equivalent regulations promulgated
				  by a state or local NESHAP designee; or
2. An EPA-approved site that converts RACM
				  and Asbestos Containing Waste Materials into nonasbestos (asbestos-free)
				  material according to the provisions of
				   40 C.F.R. §
													61.155.
P. Access to work areas shall be controlled
				  and posting requirements shall remain in effect until compliance with the air
				  exposure standard has been verified by procedures outlined below:
1. Samples shall be collected and analyzed in
				  accordance with the procedures specified by NIOSH Method 7400 (most current
				  Revision) for asbestos fibers in air or equivalent method;
2. Air volumes shall be sufficient to
				  accurately determine fiber concentrations to 0.01 fibers/ cubic centimeter of
				  air (f/cc) for fibers greater than five (5) microns in length or 300 nanograms
				  per cubic meter. A minimum air volume of 1000 liters shall be
				  sampled;
3. Air sampling shall be
				  conducted in representative locations with portable fans circulating air to
				  simulate actual use conditions;
4.
				  An acceptable airborne fiber concentration, as established by clearance air
				  monitoring shall not exceed 0.01 f/cc for fibers greater than five (5) microns
				  in length or 300 nanograms per cubic meter; and
5. Air sampling shall be conducted by a
				  representative of the building owner who is not subject to the control or
				  supervision of the Asbestos Contractor for the asbestos abatement
				  plan.
6. Notwithstanding the
				  requirements contained in § 1.14.2(P) of this Part above, control of
				  access and posting requirements for buildings subject to the AHERA regulations
				  shall remain in effect until compliance with §§1.17.3(A)(5) through
				  (8) of this Part has been demonstrated.