DEFINITIONS OF OUR INDUSTRY

FOR YOUR EDUCATION AND UNDERSTANDING

  1. Abatement: Process of controlling fiber release from ACMs including encapsulation, enclosure, controlled renovation procedures, removal, clean-up and disposal.
  2. ACM: Asbestos-containing material
  3. Aggressive Sampling: Air sampling either during or following the agitation of the air.
  4. AHERA: Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (40 CFR Part 763).
  5. Airlock: A system for permitting ingress and egress with minimum air movement between a contaminated area and uncontaminated areas. Typically consists of two curtained or gasketed doorways separated by a distance of at least six feet such that one passes through one doorway into the airlock, allowing the doorway to close off the opening. This airlock must be maintained in uncontaminated condition at all times.
  6. Ambient Air Quality: The quality of air (in terms of airborne fiber content) that is present in a given space.
  7. Area Monitoring: Sampling of airborne asbestos fiber concentrations within the work area and outside the work area. Sampling shall represent airborne concentrations that may reach the breathing zone.
  8. Asbestos Fibers: Refers to asbestos fibers having an aspect ratio of 3:1, and those fibers longer than
    five (5) microns.
  9. Asbestos Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL): A level of airborne fibers specified by OSHA as an occupational exposure standard for asbestos. This level represents the 8-hour time-weighted average of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of air as measured by Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) analytical method.
  10. Asbestos-Containing Material (ACM): Those manufactured products and construction materials including structural and mechanical building materials, as well as packings and gaskets that contain more than one percent (1.0%) asbestos by weight.
  11. Asbestos: Asbestos includes asbestiform varieties of serpentinite (chrysotile), riebeckite (crocidolite), cummingtonite-gunerite (amosite), anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite. For the purposes of determining worker respiratory protection, both the asbestiform and non-asbestiform of the above minerals, and any chemically treated or altered materials shall be considered as asbestos.
  12. Authorized Visitor: Designated employees or consultants for the Owner and representatives of any federal, state or local regulatory or other agency having jurisdiction over the project.
  13. Baseline: Refers to the background levels of asbestos monitored before abatement.
  14. Breathing Zone: A hemisphere forward of the shoulders and head with a radius of approximately six to nine inches.
  15. Breach: A rift or gap in the critical or secondary barriers that allow egress of air from the containment to outside, or vice versa.
  16. Bridging Encapsulant: An encapsulant that forms a discrete layer on the surface of an in-situ asbestos
    matrix.
  17. Cal-OSHA: State of California, Occupational Safety & Health Administration.
  18. Chain-of-Custody: A legal concept involving documentation of the physical possession of a sample(s) from the moment it is collected, transported, analyzed, and ultimately stored in an archive.
  19. Change Rooms: Refers to the two chambers in the decontamination area used to change into and out of protective clothing.
  20. Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH): A person certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.
  21. Clean Room: An uncontaminated area or room that is part of the worker decontamination enclosure system, with provisions for storage of workers’ street clothes and protective equipment.
  22. Clearance Level: Clearance level for samples analyzed by PCM will be less than 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter of air and for TEM will be less than 70 structures per square millimeter (<70 s/mm2). Samples may be collected by aggressive or non-aggressive sampling methods and the minimum air volume shall be 1,200 liters.
  23. Competent Person: One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and who has the authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.
  24. Critical Barrier: A unit of temporary construction that provides the only separation between asbestos work area and an adjacent potential occupied space. This includes the decontamination unit, perimeter walls, ceilings, penetrations and any temporary critical barriers between the work area and the uncontaminated environment.
  25. CSLB: Contractors State Licensing Board
  26. Decontamination Area: Area which is constructed to provide the means for workers to store clothing, equipment and other articles, and to properly remove contamination upon concluding work activities that result in exposure to these hazardous materials.
  27. DOP: Dioctylphthalate, the challenge aerosol used to perform on-site leak testing of HEPA filtration equipment.
  28. DOT: Federal Department of Transportation.
  29. DOSH: Division of Occupational Safety & Health (see also Cal-OSHA)
  30. Decontamination Unit: Refers to system of airlocks used to decontaminate personnel, waste bags, equipment, etc. when exiting the work area. A decontamination unit shall be set up for each containment area.
  31. Demolition: The wrecking or taking out of any load-supporting structural member of a facility together with any related handling operations or the intentional burning of any facility.
  32. Disposal Bag: Minimum six (6) mil thick leak-tight plastic bags used for transporting asbestos waste from a work area to disposal or shipping container. Each disposal bag must have required labels according to Title 8 CCR 1529 (Cal-OSHA asbestos rule), 5194 (HAZCOM). RACM waste must be additionally labeled according to 49 CFR 171-179 (USDOT), and 40 CFR 61 Subpart M (NESHAP). Hazardous waste disposal bags must be labeled with generator’s name, address, site location, generator number, and the following information:
    • CONTAINS ASBESTOS FIBERS
    • AVOID CREATING DUST
    • MAY CAUSE CANCER
    • CAUSES DAMAGE TO LUNGS
    • DO NOT BREATHE DUST
    • AVOID CREATING DUST
    • RQ WASTE ASBESTOS, 9 NA 2212 PG III (Class 9 placard)
    • HAZARDOUS WASTE
    • STATE AND FEDERAL LAW
    • PROHIBITS IMPROPER DISPOSAL
    • IF FOUND, CONTACT THE NEAREST
    • POLICE OR PUBLIC SAFETY
    • AUTHORITY OR THE CALIFORNIA
    • DEPARTMENT OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL
  33. Encapsulant: A liquid material that can be applied to ACMs that controls the possible release of asbestos fibers from the material either by creating a membrane over the surface (bridging) or by penetrating the material and binding its components together (penetrating encapsulant).
  34. Encapsulation: A specified procedure necessary to coat ACMs or asbestos contaminated surfaces with an encapsulant to control the possible release of asbestos fibers into the ambient air.
  35. Enclosure: The construction of an airtight, impermeable, permanent barrier surrounding the ACM to prevent the release of asbestos fibers into the air.
  36. Environmental Consultant: CIH, Certified Asbestos Consultant (CAC), and/or Certified Site Surveillance Technician (CSST) retained by the Owner or Contractor.
  37. Equipment Decontamination Enclosure System: A decontamination enclosure system for materials and equipment, typically in a designated area of the work area, and including a washroom, a holding area, and an uncontaminated area.
  38. Equipment Room: A contaminated area or room that is part of the worker decontamination enclosure system, with provisions for storage of contaminated clothing and equipment. The equipment room shall be kept clean from asbestos-containing debris at all times.
  39. Excursion Limit: A California Code of Regulations (Title 8 CCR 1529) requirement that ensures no employee exposed to airborne concentrations of asbestos in excess of 1.0 fibers per cubic centimeter of air as averaged over a sampling period of thirty (30) minutes.
  40. Filter: A media component used in respirators to remove solid or liquid particles from the inspired air.
  41. Fixed Object: A unit of equipment or furniture in the work area that cannot be removed from the work
    area.
  42. Friable Asbestos-Containing Material: Material that contains more than 1.0% asbestos by weight, and
    that can be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure when dry.
  43. Foreman: An individual who typically fulfills the duties of “competent person” as defined by Title 8 CCR 1529. This individual must supply documentation of a passing grade in a Cal-OSHA accredited course in Asbestos Contractor/Supervisor training. The foreman must be on-site during all abatement work.
  44. Glove Bag: A polyethylene bag with two inward projecting long sleeve gloves, designed to enclose an object from which an ACM is to be removed. Bags shall be seamless at the bottom, have a minimum thickness of 6 mils, and shall be labeled appropriately.
  45. Glove Bag Technique: A method for removing ACM from heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts, piping runs, valves, joints, elbows, and other non-planar surfaces. The glove bag is constructed and installed in such a manner that it surrounds the object or material to be removed and contains all asbestos fibers released during the process. Secondary containment shall be provided for all glove bag work unless otherwise noted.
  46. Gross or Full Abatement: Designated rooms, spaces, or areas of the project that have been totally sealed, contained in polyethylene, equipped with decontamination enclosure systems, and placed under negative pressure.
  47. HEPA: High Efficiency Particulate Air filter capable of filtering out airborne particulate 0.3 microns or
    greater in diameter at 99.97 percent efficiency.
  48. Manifest: The document authorized by both Federal and State authorities for tracking the movement of ACMs.
  49. Movable Object: A unit of equipment or furniture in the work area that can be removed from the work
    area.
  50. Negative Pressure Respirator: A respirator in which the air pressure inside the respiratory inlet covering is positive during exhalation in relation to the air pressure of the outside atmosphere, and negative during inhalation in relation to the air pressure of the outside atmosphere.
  51. Negative Pressure: Air pressure lower than surrounding areas, generally caused by exhausting air from a sealed space (work area).
  52. NESHAP: National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants – EPA Regulation 40 CFR Subpart M, Part 61.
  53. NIOSH: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: Sets test standards, analytical methods, and certifies performance of various respirator designs (research institute within Federal OSHA).
  54. NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology: Administers the NVLAP Program.
  55. NOA: Naturally Occurring Asbestos. Found in soil, fill and concrete.
  56. NVLAP: National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program – evaluates and certifies laboratories doing PLM and TEM analyses.
  57. Owner: Capital Towers Apartments, LLC
  58. Passive Sampling: Refers to air sampling with no air agitation.
  59. Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL): A level of airborne fibers specified by OSHA as an occupational exposure standard for asbestos. This level represents the 8-hour time-weighted average of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of air and 30-minute excursion limit of 1.0 fibers per cubic centimeter of air as measured by Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) analytical method.
  60. Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM): Technique using a light microscope equipped to provide enhanced contrast between the fibers and the background. Filters are cleared with a chemical solution and viewed through the microscope at a magnification of approximately 400X. This method does not distinguish between fiber types and only counts those fibers longer than 5 microns and wider than approximately 0.25 microns. Because of these limitations, fiber counts by PCM typically provide only an index of the total concentration of airborne asbestos in the environment monitored.
  61. Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM): An optical microscope technique used to identify asbestos content and distinguish between different types of asbestos fibers by their shape and unique optical properties.
  62. Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR): A full facepiece respirator that has the breathing air powered to the wearer after it has been purified through a filter.
  63. Protection Factor: The ratio of the ambient concentration of an airborne substance to the concentration of the substance inside the respirator at the breathing zone of the wearer. The protection factor is a measure of the degree of protection provided by a respirator to the wearer.
  64. Remodel: Replacement or improvement of an existing building or potion thereof where exposure to airborne asbestos may result. Remodel includes, but is not limited to, installation of materials, demolition, cutting, patching, and removal of building materials.
  65. Respirator: A device designed to protect the wearer from the inhalation of harmful atmospheres.
  66. Shower Room: A room between the clean room and the equipment room in the work decontamination enclosure system. This room contains hot and cold or warm running water and soap suitably arranged for complete showering during decontamination. The shower room comprises an airlock between contaminated and clean areas.
  67. Surfactant: A chemical wetting agent added to water to improve penetration, this reducing the quantity of water required for a given operation or area.
  68. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM): Asbestos structure analysis for a specified volume of air. TEM is a technique that focuses an electron beam onto a thin sample. As the beams transmits through certain areas of the sample, an image resulting from varying densities of the sample is projected onto a fluorescent screen. TEM is the state-of-the-art analytical method for identifying asbestos fibers collected in air samples in non-industrial settings. TEM microscopes equipped with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) capabilities also can provide information on the crystal structure of an individual particle.
  69. TSI: Thermal Systems Insulation
  70. Visible Emissions: Any emission containing particulate material that is visually detectable without the aid of instruments. This does not include condensed uncombined water vapor.
  71. Visual Inspection: A visual inspection by Environmental Consultant, of the work area under adequate lighting to ensure that the work area is free of visible PCB material, debris, and dust.
  72. Washroom: A room between the work area and the holding area in the equipment decontamination enclosure system equipped with water for decontamination of equipment and sealed waste containers. The washroom or shower room comprises one airlock.
  73. Water Filtration: Refers to water filtration to as small a particulate size as technically feasible, but not more than 5 microns.
  74. Wet Cleaning: The process of eliminating asbestos contamination from building surfaces and objects by using cloths, mops, HEPA vacuuming, or other cleaning utensils dampened with amended water and afterward thoroughly decontaminated or disposed of as asbestos contaminated waste.
  75. Work Area: The area where asbestos removal is performed and that is defined or isolated to prevent the spread of asbestos fibers, dust or debris, and entry by unauthorized personnel. Work area is a regulated area as defined by Title 8 CCR 1529.