Work Practices and Engineering Controls for Class I Asbestos Operations

This is a non-mandatory appendix to the asbestos standards for construction and for shipyards.

It describes criteria and procedures for erecting and using negative pressure enclosures for Class I Asbestos Work, when NPEs are used as an allowable control method to comply with regulations.

Many small and variable details are involved in the erection of a negative pressure enclosure. OSHA and most participants in the rule-making agreed that only the major more performance oriented criteria should be made mandatory.

In addition, this appendix includes these mandatory specifications and procedures in its guidelines in order to make this appendix coherent and helpful.

The mandatory nature of the criteria which appear in the regulatory text is not changed because they are included in this "non-mandatory" appendix.

Similarly, the additional criteria and procedures included as guidelines in the appendix, do not become mandatory because mandatory criteria are also included in these comprehensive guidelines.

In addition, none of the criteria, both mandatory and recommended, are meant to specify or imply the need for use of patented or licensed methods or equipment.

Recommended specifications included in this attachment should not discourage the use of creative alternatives which can be shown to reliably achieve the objectives of negative-pressure enclosures.