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Displaying 61 - 75 of 96 results
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I thought asbestos was banned and then removed from schools years ago?
In March 2024, EPA set prohibition dates for the last remaining ongoing manufactured (including imported) asbestos uses in United States. Asbestos-containing building materials are no longer imported into the U.S. However, asbestos-containing materials are still “managed-in-place” in schools. Under requirements set forth by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)…
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Is the local education agency (LEA) required to provide a separate notification to non-short-time workers and building occupants (i.e. parents, teachers, and employees or their organizations) for each response action that is performed?
No. Under 40 CFR part 763.84(c), a separate notification for each response action taken is not required. A notice to parents, teachers, and employees or their organizations once a year is sufficient. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School Buildings Information for Owners and Managers of…
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Who is responsible for ensuring that a project has been reviewed by a project designer in order to ensure compliance with the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?
AHERA response actions are required to be designed, not reviewed, by accredited persons. The local education agency (LEA) and its “designated person” under 40 CFR part 763.84(g) have the responsibility to ensure that AHERA requirements are carried out. For asbestos work in public and commercial buildings, it is any contractor…
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Who is responsible for overseeing the management of asbestos in a school building?
The school district/local education agency must nominate a “designated person” to perform and delegate, if necessary, the management of asbestos in a school building. This person is also a resource for the entire school community who can answer specific questions and address specific concerns about the presence or management of…
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If, during a periodic surveillance check, a custodian finds damaged thermal system insulation, what must be done under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?
40 CFR part 763.90(b) states that “[i]f damaged or significantly damaged thermal system insulation ACM is present in a building, the local education agency shall: At least repair the damaged area; Remove the damaged material if it is not feasible, due to technological factors, to repair the damage; and Maintain…
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Under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), is the installation of carpet over damaged A/V floor tile an enclosure?
No. An enclosure is defined in 40 CFR part 763.83 of the asbestos in schools rule as “an airtight, impermeable, permanent barrier around asbestos-containing building material (ACBM) to present the release of asbestos fibers into the air.” Carpeting is not impermeable, permanent, or airtight. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn…
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Please define the term "nonfriable suspected ACBM." Also, what does the term "manner sufficient to determine" mean with respect to sampling such material under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)?
Nonfriable suspected asbestos-containing building material (ACBM) means suspected surfacing asbestos-containing material (ACM), thermal system insulation ACM, or miscellaneous ACM that is found in or on the interior structural members or other parts of a school building and that when dry, cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand…
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What training is the designated person required to have?
A local education agency (LEA) is required to designate a person to ensure that all LEA responsibilities and/or requirements are properly implemented (40 CFR part 763.84(g)(1)). The LEA’s designated person is not required to be “accredited” as the term is used in the asbestos in schools rule; nonetheless, he or…
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Where do the dust control trucks get their water that they spray on the road?
The trucks get the water from the city water supply. It’s pumped into the truck from a fire hydrant on Taggart Road.
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Many local education agencies (LEAs) intend to select certain person(s) who are permanent employees of the district to become accredited asbestos professionals under the Asbestos-containing Materials in Schools Rule. Does EPA see this as a problem?
Generally, no. The conflict-of-interest provision in the asbestos-containing materials in schools rule, which merely requires LEAs to “consider” conflict of interest issues, primarily pertains to outside contractors who serve in two or more capacities (see rule preamble discussion at 52 FR 41836). LEAs retain the option of using their own…
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My school district will be performing asbestos abatement in a kindergarten classroom that was built before 1978. Do the asbestos abatement workers also need to comply with the RRP rule?
Yes, if the asbestos abatement disrupts over six square feet of painted surface per room in an interior, or over 20 square feet of painted surface on an exterior, or involves window replacement or demolition of painted surfaces. If so, the asbestos abatement will need to be performed by a…
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Are the school district's administrative offices (such as the Board of Education or the Superintendent's Office) covered by the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), even if students never attend classes in these buildings?
Yes. Among the structures covered in the definition of “school building” in AHERA (section 202) and in the asbestos in schools rule (40 CFR part 763.83) are "... any other facility used for the instruction or housing of students or for the administration of education or research programs." Other Frequent…
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Are schools supposed to notify parents if their child attends a school that has asbestos in it?
Yes. The asbestos-containing materials in schools rule, pursuant to the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), requires local education agencies (e.g., school districts) to notify building workers (including teachers) and parents annually regarding asbestos-related activities such as asbestos inspections, and response actions (abatement). The local education agency must also annually…
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Does my school district know where the asbestos in its school buildings is located?
They are required to know and to describe where the material is located in the asbestos management plan, and also to monitor and record any change in its condition that might pose a potential safety risk. Other Frequent Questions about Asbestos Learn About Asbestos Asbestos and School Buildings Information for…
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Can a local education agency (LEA) designate a committee instead of one person to coordinate asbestos programs for an LEA?
No. Section 763.84(g)(1) requires each LEA to designate “a person” (i.e., an individual). The name, address, and telephone number of the person designated under 40 CFR part 763.84 to ensure that the duties of the local education agency are carried out must appear in the management plan (40 CFR part…
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