I.          REFERENCES

 

A.         California Code of Regulations, Title 8, General Industry Safety Orders

 

B.         California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Construction Safety Orders

 

C.         40 CFR Part 61, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

 

D.         UCSD Asbestos Management Program (Blink)

 

II.         POLICY

 

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen that was used in a multitude of building applications prior to about 1980. Many of the buildings constructed prior to 1980 at UC San Diego have Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) in publicly accessible areas in materials such as floor tiles and mastic, sheet vinyl, acoustical ceilings, roofing felt, lab benches, and hoods. These materials are considered "non-friable" (not easily reduced to dust or powder) and as long as they are not crushed or abraded, do not pose a public health risk. The majority of friable ACM is away from publicly accessible areas and not likely to become an airborne hazard.

 

It is the University's policy to protect people from exposure to asbestos at all times. The primary elements of UC San Diego's Asbestos Management Program are employee training and sampling (which includes the Asbestos Survey database). Due to the potential disruption of services and impracticality involved with removing all ACM, it is UC San Diego's policy to manage asbestos in place unless there is a need for abatement action due to deterioration of these materials or construction activities.  Abatement includes repair, enclosure, encapsulation, removal, or management in place.

 

III.        PROCEDURES

 

Follow the guidelines described in the “Asbestos Management Program Overview” website in Blink for detailed guidance on training, sampling, remediation, dealing with unexpected disturbances and recordkeeping instructions.

 

A.         Asbestos Survey

 

An Asbestos Survey was conducted of all UCSD buildings constructed prior to 1991. The UCSD Asbestos Survey database is updated when Project Managers submit an online Asbestos Project Information Sheet and the waste manifest is signed off by Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S). To learn the ACM status of buildings constructed prior to 1991, inquiries can be submitted to ehsih@ucsd.edu.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the non-destructive sampling protocol used to conduct the Asbestos Survey, some materials (including, but not limited to drywall, piping behind walls, stucco, and roofing materials) may not be listed in the database. If there is any doubt concerning the presence of asbestos in any building material, contact EH&S prior to disturbing this material.

 

B.         Sampling

 

In the event that information on the presence of asbestos is not already available relating to any area/building material within any structure, building, room or appurtenance which may be disturbed during proposed renovation or demolition, a current asbestos survey must first be conducted for that structure, building, room or appurtenance. All such surveys must be performed by an appropriately licensed entity/person. Disturbance of asbestos-containing material may pose an exposure hazard if not properly handled.

 

C.         Unplanned Release or Disturbance of Actual or Suspected Asbestos

 

In the event of an unplanned release or disturbance of actual or suspected asbestos during your project, contact Environment, Health & Safety (Haz Mat) immediately. During business hours, call Environment, Health & Safety at (858) 534-3660; after business hours, call UCSD Police at 9-1-1 (from a campus land line) or (858) 534-HELP (from a cell phone).

 

D.        Training

 

All Project Managers responsible for projects that may involve ACM, and employees having job descriptions requiring the occasion to perform duties with or around asbestos, must receive annual training in asbestos awareness. This training must include the following topics (per CCR Title 8 Section 1529):

 

1.     The physical characteristics of asbestos including types, fiber size aerodynamic characteristics, and physical appearance;

 

2.     Examples of different types of asbestos-containing products and materials which employees may encounter in specific work assignments;

 

3.     The health hazards of asbestos including the nature of asbestos-related diseases, routes of exposure, dose-response relationships, latency period of asbestos-related diseases, hazards of contamination of personal contacts outside of work, and health basis for asbestos standards;

 

4.     The increased risk of lung cancer associated with smoking cigarettes and asbestos exposure; and

 

5.     The quantity, location, manner of use, release, and storage of asbestos, the specific nature of the operations which could result in exposure to asbestos, and specific information to aid employees in recognizing when and where asbestos exposure may result.

 

E.         Certified Asbestos Workers and Supervisors

 

All personnel who routinely handle asbestos as a part of their job duties must be certified to do so. Such employees must be medically evaluated in order to wear a respirator and work with asbestos. The following classifications must be met according to Cal-OSHA regulations:

 

Class I.             Activities involving removal of friable asbestos-containing materials (ACM). Requires 32 hours of training for worker and 40 hours for supervisor including hands-on training and eight-hour annual refreshers.

 

Class II.            Activities involving removal of non-friable ACM. Same training requirements as Class I.

 

 

Class III.           Activities involving repair and maintenance of disturbed ACM. Requires 16 hours of hands on training and two-hour annual refreshers.

 

Class IV.          Activities involving maintenance and custodial work around undisturbed ACM and clean up of ACM waste and debris. Requires annual two-hour awareness training.

 

F.         Record Keeping

 

1.     Departments involved in Asbestos Projects must retain:

 

a.     Asbestos bulk and air sampling reports;

 

b.    Asbestos abatement contract and job specifications;

 

c.     Asbestos Project Information Sheet;

 

d.    Asbestos Waste Manifest copy.

 

2.     EH&S retains the following records:

 

a.     Exposure records for 30 years;

 

b.    Respiratory fit testing for three years;

 

c.     Training records for a minimum of three years;

 

d.    Incident reports and Workers' Compensation claims related to ACM for a minimum of three years;

 

e.     Asbestos Project Information Sheet for three years.

 

IV.        RESPONSIBILITIES

 

A.         Departments Conducting Work with ACM

 

Departments are financially responsible for regulatory fines and EH&S recharges related to correcting non-compliance with this policy.

 

B.         Departmental Project Managers

 

1.     Project Managers have ultimate responsibility for the proper management of ACM for their projects.

 

2.     The following departments are authorized to conduct projects with potential to disturb ACM:

 

a.     Facilities Management

 

b.    Facilities Design & Construction

 

c.     Housing, Dining, and Hospitality Services

 

d.    Medical Center Facilities Engineering

 

3.     General duties for project managers include, but not limited to:

 

a.     Being the point of contact for projects under their management for all issues concerning disturbances of ACM (both potential and accidental).

 

b.    Treating suspected ACM as known asbestos until proven otherwise by having the sample collected by a qualified professional and samples analyzed by an accredited lab.

 

c.     Retaining current CA state asbestos certified contractors and consultants by verifying credentials. Following the procedures outlined in the Asbestos Management Program section of Blink.

 

d.   Responding to inquiries from contractors, regulatory agencies, building occupants, and EH&S.