Asbestos Decontamination: Enclosure Systems

Maintenance of Decontamination Enclosure Systems and Barriers

The following procedures shall he followed during the conduct of abatement activities on large asbestos projects:

All plastic barriers inside the work place and partitions constructed to isolate the work area from occupied areas shall be inspected by the asbestos handler supervisor at least twice per shift.

Smoke tubes shall be used to test the integrity of the work area barriers and the decontamination enclosure systems daily at a minimum both before abatement activity begins and at the end of each shift. A visual inspection of the barriers, including the use of differential manometers, shall be considered acceptable as a back-up test.

Damage and defects in the decontamination enclosure system shall be repaired immediately.

At any time during the abatement activity, if visible emissions are observed, or elevated asbestos fiber counts outside the work area are measured, or if damage occurs to barriers, abatement shall stop. The source of the contamination shall be located, the integrity of the barriers shall be restored, and visible residue shall be cleaned up using appropriate HEPA vacuuming and wet cleaning procedures immediately.

Inspections, observations, and unusual incidents (e.g., barrier damage, contamination beyond the work area, etc.) shall be documented in the log by the asbestos handler supervisor.