ASBESTOS INSPECTOR COURSE DESCRIPTION AND SYLLABUS

This is a 3 day initial course with a half day annual refresher.

Prerequisite for those who wish to be fit tested is a medical approval form indicating the individual can wear a respirator and the respirator.

Individuals must be clean shaven in the area of the respirator seal to the face.

The inspector training course includes lectures, demonstrations, at least four hours of hands-on training, individual respirator fit testing, course-review and a written examination. The course includes instruction on:

(A) background information on asbestos: identification of asbestos, and examples and discussion of the uses and location of asbestos in facilities and physical appearance of asbestos;

(B) potential health effects related to asbestos exposure: the nature of asbestos-related diseases; routes of exposure; dose-response relationships and the lack of a safe exposure level; the synergistic effect between cigarette smoking and asbestos exposure; the latency period for asbestos-related diseases and a discussion of the relationship of the asbestos exposure to asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and cancer of other organs;

(C) functions/qualifications and role of inspectors: discussions of prior experience and qualifications for inspectors and management planners; discussions of the functions of an inspector as compared to those of a management planner and discussion of inspection process including inventory of ACM and physical assessment;

(D) legal liabilities and defenses:

responsibilities of the inspector and management planner; a discussion of comprehensive general liability policies, claims made and occurrence policies, environmental and pollution liability policy clauses; state liability insurance requirements and bonding and the relationship of insurance availability to bond availability;

(E) understanding facility systems. The interrelationship between facility systems, including an overview of common facility physical plan layouts; HVAC system tapes, physical organization and where asbestos is found on HVAC components; facility mechanical systems, their types and organization and where to look for asbestos on such systems; inspecting electrical systems, including appropriate safety precautions, and reading blueprints and as-built drawings;

(F) occupant relations: notifying employee organizations about the inspection; signs to warn facility occupants; tact in dealing with occupants and the press; scheduling of inspections to minimize disruption and education of facility occupants about actions being taken;

(G) preinspection planning and review of previous inspection records: scheduling the inspection and obtaining access; facility record review; identification of probable homogeneous areas from blueprints or as-built drawings; consultation with maintenance or facility personnel; review of previous inspection, sampling and abatement records of a facility and the role of the inspector in exclusions for previously performed inspections,

(H) inspecting for friable and non-friable ACM and assessing the condition of friable ACM: procedures to follow in conducting visual inspection for friable and non-friable ACM; types of building materials that may contain asbestos; touching materials to determine friability; open return air plenums and their importance in HVAC systems; assessing damage, significant damage, potential damage, and potential significant damage; amount of suspected ACM, both in total quantity and as a percentage of the total area; type of damage; accessibility; material's potential for disturbance; known or suspected causes of damage or significant damage and deterioration as assessment factors;

(I) bulk sampling/documentation of asbestos in schools: detailed discussion of the "Simplified Sampling Scheme for Friable Surfacing Materials (EPA 560/5-85-030a October 1985. techniques to ensure sampling in a randomly distributed manner for nonfriable surfacing materials; sampling of nonfriable materials;' techniques for bulk sampling; inspector's sampling and repair equipment; patching or repair of damage done from sampling; an inspector's repair kit; discussion of polarized light microscopy; choosing an accredited laboratory to analyze bulk samples; quality control and quality assurance procedures;

(J) inspector respiratory protection and personal protective equipment: classes and characteristics of respirator types; limitations of respirators; proper selection, inspection, donning, use, maintenance and storage procedures for respirators; methods for field testing of facepiece-to-face seal (positive and negative pressure fit checks); qualitative and quantitative fit testing procedures; variability between field and laboratory protection factors that alter respiratory fit (e.g., facial hair); the components of a proper respiratory protection program; selection and use of personal protective clothing; use, storage, and handling of non-disposable clothing;

(K) recordkeeping and writing the inspection report: labeling of samples and keying sample identification to sampling location; recommendations on sample labeling; detailing of ACM inventory; photographs of selected sampling areas and examples of ACM condition and information required for inclusion in the management plan by TSCA Title II Section 203 (i)(1);

(L) regulatory review: National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP; 40 CFR Part 61, Subparts A and M); EPA Worker Protection Rule (40 CFR Part 763, Subpart G); OSHA Asbestos Construction Standard (29 CFR 1926.1001); OSHA Respirator requirements (29 CFR 1910.134); the Friable Asbestos in Schools Rule (40 CFR Part 763, Subpart F); applicable state and local regulations, and differences between federal and state requirements where they apply, and the effects, if any, on public and nonpublic schools or commercial or public facilities;

(M) field trip: a field exercise including a walk-through inspection; on-site discussion on information gathering and determination of sampling locations; on-site practice in physical assessment and classroom discussion of field exercise.

(N) course review: a review of key aspects of the training course.