Search Frequent Questions

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• Are persons who conduct the asbestos portion of an environmental assessment required to be certified under the Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP) if they do not collect asbestos samples?

  Yes. If a person is conducting an environmental assessment that includes the identification and assessment of asbestos containing building materials either in a regulated school or public or commercial building, AHERA requires that such a person be properly trained and accredited as an inspector, regardless of whether or not the…

  • Last published: April 23, 2024

• How many samples do you have to take for friable miscellaneous material under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?

  40 CFR part 763.86(c) says that “an accredited inspector shall collect bulk samples [plural] from each homogeneous area of friable miscellaneous material that is not assumed to be asbestos containing material.” Therefore, at least two samples must be taken. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School…

  • Last published: April 23, 2024

• Under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA),what criteria must be applied to determine when a non-friable asbestos containing material is made friable?

  Non-friable asbestos-containing material is made friable if, when dry, it may be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School Buildings Information for Owners and Managers of Buildings that Contain Asbestos Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos…

  • Last published: April 23, 2024

• Is a nursery/daycare center subject to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?

  Generally no. Nursery/daycare centers are generally not subject to AHERA because they generally do not fall within the definition of “school” under AHERA or the asbestos in schools rule. However, if a nursery/daycare center did fall within the definition of “school” (based on how a school is defined under state…

  • Last published: April 23, 2024

• Does this management plan have to be updated periodically?

  Yes. The asbestos management plan must be updated with information collected during periodic surveillance every 6 months, re-inspections every 3 years, and every time a response action is taken within the school. Also, records of annual notifications to parents, teachers, and staff concerning the availability of the school’s asbestos management…

  • Last published: April 24, 2024

• Under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), can a building inspector use his/her own lab to analyze the bulk samples or air samples taken?

  Yes, but only if the lab is currently accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), formerly known as the National Bureau of Standards. (40 CFR part 763.87(a) and 40 CFR part 763.90 (i)(2)(ii)) Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos…

  • Last published: April 24, 2024

• Under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), can a group of local education agencies (LEAs) share a Designated Person?

  Yes. There is nothing in the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) or the asbestos in schools rule that prohibits this. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School Buildings Information for Owners and Managers of Buildings that Contain Asbestos Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos…

  • Last published: April 24, 2024

• If an Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) accredited-training course is taught by someone other than instructors certified by the state or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), can an approved contractor/instructor sign certificates?

  No. An EPA Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) accredited training course must be taught by EPA/state approved instructors and only those approved instructors may issue AHERA approved training course certificates. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School Buildings Information for Owners and Managers of Buildings…

  • Last published: May 1, 2024

• Is there a formal requirement that an Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP) asbestos training course must have a training manual?

  Accredited trainers are not required to have a formal training manual, per se. According to the Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP), at Unit III, (A)(3), (A)(4)(d) and (A)(5) of appendix C to 40 CFR part 763, subpart E, a trainer’s application for course approval must include the course curriculum, a…

  • Last published: May 14, 2024

• What are the requirements under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) for refresher training for a person who wants to "step down" his/her certification from contractor/supervisor status to worker status?

  If such a person takes contractor/supervisor refresher courses on an annual basis, that person may perform in both the contractor/supervisor and worker roles. If, however, the person chooses only to take annual worker refresher courses, that person may continue to act in the role of an accredited worker but loses…

  • Last published: May 24, 2024

• What is the applicability of Federal asbestos inspector accreditation requirements under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) to real estate appraisers?

  Real estate appraisers may not assess the suspected presence, location, or condition of asbestos in a school building or a public and commercial building during an appraisal unless they are accredited pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP), as conducting an examination…

  • Last published: May 24, 2024

• When would a conflict of interest exist among Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP)-accredited personnel?

  A conflict of interest with respect to Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP)-accredited personnel would exist if, for example, the management planner and abatement contractor worked for the same firm. The planner might recommend to the LEA more expensive response actions than are necessary in the management plan. Other Frequent Questions…

  • Last published: May 24, 2024

• The training requirements specified in 40 CFR part 763 appear to apply to projects (excluding small-scale, short-duration projects) involving interior building components. Specifically, is roofing work and other exterior work covered?

  Worker training requirements specified in 40 CFR part 763, including those for accreditation under the Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP), apply to interior building projects done in schools and public and commercial buildings. Additionally, the asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)…

  • Last published: May 30, 2024

• Under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), can a local education agency (LEA) hire one abatement firm both to conduct a response action and to carry out the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) clearance air monitoring on that project?

  No. In Unit II.B.2 of Appendix A to 40 CFR part 763, subpart E it states that TEM “[s]ampling operations must be performed by qualified individuals completely independent of the abatement contractor to avoid possible conflict of interest.” Accordingly, the LEA would have to select another person or firm “completely…

  • Last published: June 3, 2024

• How does a company become a provider of Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP)-accredited asbestos training courses?

  Individuals or groups wishing to sponsor training courses for disciplines required to be accredited under section 206(b)(1)(A) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) may apply for approval from states that have accreditation program requirements that are at least as stringent as the EPA Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan (MAP). For…

  • Last published: August 27, 2024