Quote:
Originally Posted by jyl
I’m using a respirator, dust control, and cleaning up. There’s no “upside” to doing an asbestos test . . .
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If you're even touching AB without a license you are looking at potential trouble as long as you own that building and beyond. The only way out is that "it was never there." And that means meticulous clean up with a HEPA vac. You don't even want to think about disposing it either. Just carrying it outside will contaminate the outside environs AFA the constable is concerned. All AB is double bagged inside the working envelope and your hazmat suit is bagged inside the entry chamber before you step outside.
Extreme? Of course. Is there any potential for long term harm? Only if you are really careless. Will a lawyer find evidence should a situation occur? You can bet your life on that. I went through all this BS as a CA state licensed contractor. Even our Greg Park, the floor man, had to do this. Especially since he dealt with floors. But even plumbers have to take the test just to know when to throw in the towel. This is an excerpt from CA license law:
- All new applicants for a license must complete an open-book examination to become aware of asbestos risks, even if they don't plan to perform asbestos abatement work. This exam is separate from the certification exam and does not certify a contractor to perform abatement work.
This is your guideline:
"...asbestos having an asbestos fiber content of more than 0.1% and 100 square feet or more of surface area of asbestos-containing material."
That's floors, walls and ceilings, and 10 x 10 is not that big.
CA has tried to enforce lead abatement in a similar manner but as far as I can see the lead issue is still the wild, wild west AFA as enforcement. Public works projects are scrutinized, but residential is largely overlooked. They had us running scared 20 years ago when the proposals first came out. We were supposed to all obtain a federal license.
Federal, get that? Not even AB requires that.
It all went into the dump, figuratively and literally, when a certain President took office. However, the AB thing got traction many years before. Steve McQueen's death greatly added to the awareness and subsequent rules. I say
added since AB was all but eliminated in manufactured products in '77. McQueen died in 1980 but his illness was known beforehand. There have been some shifts since in the AB policy in manufacturing, but OSHA was formed and began AB regs in 1970.