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Renovations and hazardous materials
When dealing with renovations in school buildings, hazardous materials assessments are conducted to determine the requirements for removal of any hazardous materials prior to the installation of new materials. Generally, the hazardous materials assessments include: Asbestos in building materials, HVAC insulation materials, and paint; lead in paint, surface coatings, and old cast iron spigots; PCBs in light ballasts and transformers; mercury in HVAC control switches; and possibly CFCs in HVAC refrigerants. The complete list of materials is often quite long, detailing locations and quantities subject to the scope of the renovations.
When hazardous materials are identified, risk assessments must be completed by a qualified person before any work on the site proceeds. The risk assessments are part of WorkSafe BC’s Exposure Control Plan requirements in
BY JARI SAARELA
Lead abatement.
the Occupational Health and Safety regulations (Section 5.54). The risk as sessments are based on the scope of work for the project, and provide vital information for the development of site
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•Pre-Renovation / Demolition / Compliance Risk Assessments •Comprehensive Hazardous Materials Assessments (Asbestos, etc.) •Confined Space Audits & Risk Assessments •Asbestos & Mould Awareness & Worker Training Programs •Hazardous Materials Sample Analysis (RUSH Available) •Total Site Decommissioning Services •In-Situ / On-Site / Off-Site Remediation •Indoor Air Quality Assessments & Solutions •Chemical Inventory, Compliance, & Operating Procedures •Residential Grow Operation Removal & Re-Occupancy •Self-Contained Mobile Lab for Assessment & Analysis •Air Sampling & Analysis for Dust, Mists, Fumes, Mould,
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specific work procedures to deal with the hazardous materials.
In the past, lead paint has only been a concern if it actually contained more than 0.5% lead by weight or 1.0 milligram per square centimeter, when, in fact, paint with concentrations of lead lower than the standard definition above can still cause health problems. Based on the activity (e.g. sanding), fine lead particulate can be released into the airstream from paint with lower concentrations of lead.
During renovation projects, where lead paint has been identified, workers are provided with specific instructions and worker protection, ensuring their safety when dealing with the lead paint. Occupational air sampling is required on the first shift. Based on the activity, dust control measures are implemented for all projects to prevent migration of fine particulate into areas with unprotected workers. The dust control measures can be as simple as visible barriers keeping unprotected workers at a predetermined distance from the lead abatement workers. In high dust jobs, the dust control measures may include full poly containments with HEPA filtered negative air systems. Unlike as bestos projects, there are no current requirements for encapsulation or air clearance to ensure cleanliness at the completion of a project. Also, surface sampling outside the work area, to determine cleanliness, is not often carried out.
Until current regulations are updated, the regulatory agencies in BC are recommending companies use regulations from other recognized governing bodies to ensure due diligence. Other governing bodies, such as the De part ment of Housing and Urban Devel opment (HUD) and the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have established clearance wipe sampling levels, currently requiring results below 40 micrograms per gram based on the analysis of a one square foot wipe sample. This is a residential standard as no commercial, institutional, or industrial standards exist in North America. The Australian Standard (AS 4361.2) for residential and commercial buildings identifies an acceptable level of up to one milligram per square meter. As a comparison, this calculates to just over 90 micrograms per square foot.
The use of lead based paint, as defined in the third paragraph, was generally discontinued in residential use around 1978. All consumer paints produced in Canada and the U.S. were virtually lead-free by 1992.
For further information, please visit www.acmenvironmental.com. To speak with an Environmental Consultant, please call (604) 873-8599. ❏
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