West Virginia (WV) Asbestos Removal & Abatement Resources:
The West Virginia Bureau of Public Health (BPH) is responsible for administering rules and regulations in conjunction with the abatement and removal of asbestos containing material in the state of West Virginia.
Asbestos Health Concerns
Asbestos removal is necessary to protect the public from contamination by asbestos fibers. Asbestos fibers have been linked to cancers of the lungs and organs in humans. Properly conducted abatement projects are necessary to prevent asbestos fibers from being released into the environment where they can be inhaled or ingested and develop into these cancers. The risks associated with improper abatement procedures are extremely high, making asbestos one of the most heavily regulated substances in the United States.
There are over 3,000 manufactured products that are known to contain asbestos, most of which are in various construction materials such as insulation, wallboard, spray-on fireproofing and floor tiles. Individuals may not be aware of asbestos materials that are located in their home. Asbestos fibers are odorless, tasteless, and invisible when released into the air, and were widely used for many years before the danger was determined. Only asbestos removal experts are qualified to perform inspections and air sampling tests to determine the risk level of an area and whether removal, encapsulation, or enclosure is the best option for present asbestos containing materials (2).
Asbestos Abatement Guidelines
There are stringent regulations on state and federal levels regarding the handling, transportation and disposal of asbestos material. In the state of West Virginia, individuals are not advised to undertake sampling or abatement procedures for residential structures. Ignoring regulations can lead to citations and fines. Individuals should always ensure that any professional hired for an asbestos abatement project is in full compliance with rules and regulations regarding the handling of asbestos (2).
In the state of West Virginia, asbestos workers must complete a four-day training course to obtain certification for performing asbestos abatement projects. Within the training program, they must complete fourteen hours of hands-on training, and an examination of 50 questions with a 70% passing score.
The training program must contain guidance on the physical characteristics of asbestos, including the identification of asbestos, the aerodynamic characteristics of asbestos, typical uses and physical appearance, a summary of control options and a review of hazard assessment considerations.
Potential health considerations must also be covered in the training program. This section will include the nature of asbestos related disease, routes of exposure and dose-response relationships, the danger of combining smoking habits with asbestos exposure, latency period of the diseases, and specific discussion regarding mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and cancer of the organs.
Employee personal protective equipment regulations must be covered in the training program, along with its direct application to worker health. Classes and characteristics of respirator types, limitation of respirators, selection, inspection, donning, use, maintenance, and storage will all be discussed at length. Also discussed will be, positive/negative respirator fit checks, qualitative and quantitative fit testing, variability of protection factors, factors that alter respirator fit, components of a respiratory protection program, selection and use of personal protective clothing and regulations covering personal protective equipment.
Under the topic of state-of-the-art work practices, attention will be given to proper asbestos abatement activities, including descriptions of proper construction of decontamination enclosure systems, positioning of warnings, electrical and ventilation system lock-out, proper working techniques for minimizing fiber release, use of wet methods and negative pressure ventilation, HEPA vacuums, proper clean up, disposal, removal, encapsulation, enclosure and repair. Emergency procedures, potential exposure situations, transport and disposal are also covered in this section.
Personal hygiene and additional safety hazards are covered during the program to provide instruction and caution regarding entry and exit procedures for the work area, use of showers, potential exposure to family and contamination of areas outside of the work space. Hazards encountered during abatement activities are covered, including how to deal with situations such as electrical hazards, heat stress, air contaminants, fire and explosion hazards, scaffolding and ladder hazards, slips, trips, falls and confined space hazards.
Finally, relevant standards on Federal, State and local levels with particular attention to EPA, OSHA and State regulations concerning asbestos abatement workers, will be covered in conjunction with establishment of respiratory protection programs and a course review (1).
'West Virginia (WV) Asbestos Removal & Abatement Resources' Sources:
1. “West Virginia Accreditation Standards for Asbestos, Lead and Radon Training” West Virginia Bureau of Public Health. Jun 05. 24 Jan 2008.
http://www.wvdhhr.org/rtia/pdf/wwwstandardtoincluderadon.pdf2. “Asbestos Removal” Asbestos News. 2008. 24 Jan 2008.
http://www.asbestosnews.com/asbestos_areas.html
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