ASBESTOS PROJECT DESIGNER COURSE DESCRIPTION AND SYLLABUS

Individuals seeking certification and licensure in this discipline shall have successfully completed a course of instruction of three (3) days duration consisting of lectures, demonstrations, individual respirator fit testing, a field trip, course review and written examination. The course addresses the following topics:

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.

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

(B) potential health effects related to asbestos exposure: 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 of asbestos related diseases and a discussion of the relationship between asbestos exposure and asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and cancer of other organs;

(C) overview of abatement construction projects: abatement as a portion of renovation project and OSHA requirements (29 CFR 1926.58) for notification of other contractors on a multiemployer site;

(D) safety system design specification: design, construction and maintenance of containment barriers and decontamination enclosure systems; positioning of warning signs; electrical and ventilation system lock-out; proper working techniques for minimizing fiber release; entry and exit procedures for the work area; use of wet methods; proper techniques for initial cleaning; use of negative pressure exhaust ventilation equipment; use of HEPA vacuums; proper cleanup and disposal of asbestos; work practices as they apply to encapsulation, enclosure and repair, use of glove bags and a demonstration of glove bag use;

(E) field Trip: a visit to an abatement site or other suitable facility site, including onsite discussions of abatement design, and facility walk-through inspection including a discussion of rationale for the concept of functional spaces during the walk-through and a discussion following the walk-through;

(F) employee 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 the facepiece-to-face seal (positive and negative pressure fit checks) ; qualitative and quantitative fit testing procedures; variability between field and laboratory protection factors; factors that alter respirator fit (e. g. , facial hair); components of proper respiratory protection program; selection and use of personal protective clothing; use, storage and handling of non-disposable clothing and regulations covering personal protective equipment;

(G) additional safety hazards: hazards encountered during abatement activities and how to deal with them, including electrical hazards, heat stress, air contaminants other than asbestos, fire and explosion hazards;

 (H) fiber aerodynamics and control: aerodynamic characteristics of asbestos fibers; importance of proper containment barriers; settling time for asbestos fibers; wet methods in abatement; aggressive air monitoring following abatement and aggressive air movement and negative-pressure exhaust ventilation as a-clean-up method;

(I) designing abatement solutions: discussions of removal, enclosure and encapsulation methods;

asbestos waste disposal;

(J) final clearance process: discussion of the need for a written sampling rationale for aggressive final air clearance; requirements of a complete visual inspection and the relationship of the visual inspection to final air clearance.

(K) budgeting/cost estimation: development of cost estimates; present costs of abatement versus future operation and maintenance costs and setting priorities for abatement jobs to reduce cost;

(L) writing abatement specifications: preparation of and need for a written project design; means and methods specifications versus performance specifications; design of abatement in occupied facilities; modification of guide specifications for a particular facility; worker and facility occupant health and medical considerations; replacement of ACM with non-asbestos substitutes; clearance of work area after abatement and air monitoring for clearance;

(M) preparing abatement drawings: significance and need for drawings, use of as-built drawings as base drawings; use of inspection photographs and on-site reports; methods of preparing abatement drawings; diagramming containment barriers; relationship of drawings to design specifications and particular problems related to abatement drawings;

(N) contract preparation and administration;

(O) legal liabilities and defenses: insurance considerations; bonding; hold-harmless clauses; use of abatement contractor's liability insurance and claims made versus occurrence policies;

(P) replacement: replacement of asbestos with asbestos-free substitutes;

(Q) role of other consultants: development of technical specification sections by industrial hygienists or engineers; the multidisciplinary team approach to abatement design;

(R) occupied facilities: special design procedures required in occupied facilities; education of occupants; extra monitoring recommendations; staging of work to minimize occupant exposure and scheduling of renovation to minimize exposure;

 (S) relevant federal, state and local regulatory requirements, procedures and standards including but not limited to:

(i) TSCA, Title II;

(ii) 40 CFR Part 61, NESHAP, Subparts A (General Provisions) and M (National Emission Standard for Asbestos);

(iii) OSHA Respirator Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134;

(iv) EPA Worker Protection Rule, 40 CFR Part 763, Subpart G;

(v) OSHA Asbestos Construction standard, 29 CFR 1926.1001;

(vi) OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1926.59; and

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