ATTACHMENT A - Glossary.docx

ATTACHMENT A

GLOSSARY

Abatement - Procedures to control fiber release from asbestos-containing materials. Includes removal, encapsulation, enclosure, demolition, and renovation activities related to asbestos containing materials (ACM).

Aerosol - Solid or liquid particulate suspended in air.

Adequately wet - Sufficiently mixed or penetrated with liquid to prevent the release of particulates. If visible emissions are observed coming from the ACM, then that material has not been adequately wetted.

Aggressive method - Removal or disturbance of building material by sanding, abrading, grinding, or other method that breaks, crumbles, or disintegrates intact ACM.

Aggressive sampling - EPA AHERA defined clearance sampling method using air moving equipment such as fans and leaf blowers to aggressively disturb and maintain in the air residual fibers after abatement.

AHERA - Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. Asbestos regulations for schools issued in 1987.

Aircell - Pipe or duct insulation made of corrugated cardboard which contains asbestos.

Air monitoring - The process of measuring the fiber content of a known volume of air collected over a specified period of time. The NIOSH 7400 Method, Issue 2 is used to determine the fiber levels in air. For personal samples and clearance air testing using Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM) analysis. NIOSH Method 7402 can be used when it is necessary to confirm fibers counted by PCM as being asbestos. The AHERA TEM analysis may be used for background, area samples and clearance samples when required by this specification, or at the discretion of the VPIH/CIH as appropriate.

Air sample filter - The filter used to collect fibers which are then counted. The filter is made of mixed cellulose ester membrane for PCM (Phase Contrast Microscopy) and polycarbonate for TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy)

Amended water - Water to which a surfactant (wetting agent) has been added to increase the penetrating ability of the liquid.

Asbestos - Includes chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, and any of these minerals that have been chemically treated or altered. Asbestos also includes PACM, as defined below.

Asbestos Hazard Abatement Plan (AHAP) - Asbestos work procedures required to be submitted by the contractor before work begins.

Asbestos-containing material (ACM) - Any material containing more than one percent of asbestos.

Asbestos contaminated elements (ACE) - Building elements such as ceilings, walls, lights, or ductwork that are contaminated with asbestos.

Asbestos-contaminated soil (ACS) – Soil found in the work area or in adjacent areas such as crawlspaces or pipe tunnels which is contaminated with asbestos-containing material debris and cannot be easily separated from the material.

Asbestos-containing waste (ACW) material - Asbestos-containing material or asbestos contaminated objects requiring disposal.

Asbestos Project Monitor – Some states require that any person conducting asbestos abatement clearance inspections and clearance air sampling be licensed as an asbestos project monitor.

Asbestos waste decontamination facility - A system consisting of drum/bag washing facilities and a temporary storage area for cleaned containers of asbestos waste. Used as the exit for waste and equipment leaving the regulated area. In an emergency, it may be used to evacuate personnel.

Authorized person - Any person authorized by the VA, the Contractor, or government agency and required by work duties to be present in regulated areas.

Authorized visitor - Any person approved by the VA; the contractor; or any government agency representative having jurisdiction over the regulated area (e.g., OSHA, Federal and State EPA.

Barrier - Any surface the isolates the regulated area and inhibits fiber migration from the regulated area.

Containment Barrier - An airtight barrier consisting of walls, floors, and/or ceilings of sealed plastic sheeting which surrounds and seals the outer perimeter of the regulated area.

Critical Barrier - The barrier responsible for isolating the regulated area from adjacent spaces, typically constructed of plastic sheeting secured in place at openings such as doors, windows, or any other opening into the regulated area.

Primary Barrier – Plastic barriers placed over critical barriers and exposed directly to abatement work.

Secondary Barrier - Any additional plastic barriers used to isolate and provide protection from debris during abatement work.

Breathing zone - The hemisphere forward of the shoulders with a radius of about 150 - 225 mm (6 - 9 inches) from the worker's nose.

Bridging encapsulant - An encapsulant that forms a layer on the surface of the ACM.

Building/facility owner - The legal entity, including a lessee, which exercises control over management and recordkeeping functions relating to a building and/or facility in which asbestos activities take place.

Bulk testing - The collection and analysis of suspect asbestos containing materials.

Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) - A person certified in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene.

Class I asbestos work - Activities involving the removal of Thermal System Insulation (TSI) and surfacing ACM and Presumed Asbestos Containing Material (PACM).

Class II asbestos work - Activities involving the removal of ACM which is not thermal system insulation or surfacing material. This includes, but is not limited to, the removal of asbestos-containing wallboard, floor tile and sheeting, roofing, and siding shingles, and construction mastic.

Clean room/Changing room - An uncontaminated room having facilities for the storage of employee's street clothing and uncontaminated materials and equipment.

Clearance sample - The final air sample taken after all asbestos work has been done and visually inspected. Performed by the VA's professional industrial hygiene consultant/Certified Industrial Hygienist (VPIH/CIH).

Closely resemble - The major workplace conditions which have contributed to the levels of historic asbestos exposure, are no more protective than conditions of the current workplace.

Competent person - In addition to the definition in 29 CFR 1926.32(f), one who is capable of identifying existing asbestos hazards in the workplace and selecting the appropriate control strategy for asbestos exposure, who has the authority to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them, as specified in 29 CFR 1926.32(f); in addition, for Class I and II work who is specially trained in a training course which meets the criteria of EPA's Model Accreditation Plan (40 CFR 763) for supervisor.

Contractor's Professional Industrial Hygienist (CPIH/CIH) - The asbestos abatement contractor's industrial hygienist. The industrial hygienist must meet the qualification requirements of a PIH and may be a certified industrial hygienist (CIH).

Count - Refers to the fiber count or the average number of fibers greater than five microns in length with a length-to-width (aspect) ratio of at least 3 to 1, per cubic centimeter of air.

Crawlspace – An area which can be found either in or adjacent to the work area. This area has limited access and egress and may contain asbestos materials and/or asbestos contaminated soil.

Decontamination area/unit - An enclosed area adjacent to and connected to the regulated area and consisting of an equipment room, shower room, and clean room, which is used for the decontamination of workers, materials, and equipment that are contaminated with asbestos.

Demolition - The wrecking or taking out of any load-supporting structural member and any related razing, removing, or stripping of asbestos products.

VA Total – means a building or substantial part of the building is completely removed, torn, or knocked down, bulldozed, flattened, or razed, including removal of building debris.

Disposal bag - Typically 6 mils thick sift-proof, dustproof, leak-tight container used to package and transport asbestos waste from regulated areas to the approved landfill. Each bag/container must be labeled/marked in accordance with EPA, OSHA, and DOT requirements.

Disturbance - Activities that disrupt the matrix of ACM or PACM, crumble or pulverize ACM or PACM, or generate visible debris from ACM or PACM. Disturbance includes cutting away small amounts of ACM or PACM, no greater than the amount that can be contained in one standard sized glove bag or waste bag in order to access a building component. In no event shall the amount of ACM or PACM so disturbed exceed that which can be contained in one glove bag or disposal bag which shall not exceed 60 inches in length or width.

Drum - A rigid, impermeable container made of cardboard fiber, plastic, or metal which can be sealed in order to be sift-proof, dustproof, and leak-tight.

Employee exposure - The exposure to airborne asbestos that would occur if the employee were not wearing respiratory protection equipment.

Encapsulant - A material that surrounds or embeds asbestos fibers in an adhesive matrix and prevents the release of fibers.

Encapsulation - Treating ACM with an encapsulant.

Enclosure - The construction of an airtight, impermeable, permanent barrier around ACM to control the release of asbestos fibers from the material and also eliminate access to the material.

Equipment room - A contaminated room located within the decontamination area that is supplied with impermeable bags or containers for the disposal of contaminated protective clothing and equipment.

Fiber - A particulate form of asbestos, 5 microns or longer, with a length to width (aspect) ratio of at least 3 to 1.

Fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc) - Abbreviation for fibers per cubic centimeter, used to describe the level of asbestos fibers in air.

Filter - Media used in respirators, vacuums, or other machines to remove particulate from air.

Firestopping - Material used to close the open parts of a structure in order to prevent a fire from spreading.

Friable asbestos containing material - Any material containing more than one (1) percent or asbestos as determined using the method specified in appendix A, Subpart F, 40 CFR 763, section 1, Polarized Light Microscopy, that, when dry, can be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure.

Glovebag - Not more than a 60 x 60-inch impervious plastic bag-like enclosure affixed around an asbestos-containing material, with glove-like appendages through which materials and tools may be handled.

High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter – An ASHRAE MERV 17 filter capable of trapping and retaining at least 99.97 percent of all mono-dispersed particles of 0.3 micrometers in diameter.

HEPA vacuum - Vacuum collection equipment equipped with a HEPA filter system capable of collecting and retaining asbestos fibers.

Homogeneous area - An area of surfacing, thermal system insulation or miscellaneous ACM that is uniform in color, texture, and date of application.

HVAC - Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

Industrial hygienist (IH) - A professional qualified by education, training, and experience to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and develop controls for occupational health hazards. Meets definition requirements of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).

Industrial hygienist technician (IH Technician) - A person working under the direction of an IH or CIH who has special training, experience, certifications, and licenses required for the industrial hygiene work assigned. Some states require that an industrial hygienist technician conducting asbestos abatement clearance inspection and clearance air sampling be licensed as an asbestos project monitor.

Intact - The ACM has not crumbled, been pulverized, or otherwise deteriorated so that the asbestos is no longer likely to be bound with its matrix.

Lockdown - Applying encapsulant, after a final visual inspection, on all abated surfaces at the conclusion of ACM removal prior to removal of critical barriers.

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) - EPA's rule to control emissions of asbestos to the environment (40 CFR part 61, Subpart M).

Negative initial exposure assessment - A demonstration by the employer which complies with the criteria in 29 CFR 1926.1101 (f)(2)(iii), that employee exposure during an operation is expected to be consistently below the PEL.

Negative pressure - Air pressure, which is lower than the surrounding area, created by exhausting air from a sealed regulated area through HEPA equipped filtration units. OSHA requires maintaining -0.02" water column gauge inside the negative pressure enclosure.

Negative pressure respirator - A respirator in which the air pressure inside the facepiece is negative during inhalation relative to the air pressure outside the respirator facepiece.

Non-friable ACM - Material that contains more than 1 percent asbestos but cannot be crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by hand pressure.

Penetrating encapsulant - Encapsulant that is absorbed into the ACM matrix without leaving a surface layer.

Personal sampling/monitoring - Representative air samples obtained in the breathing zone for one or workers within the regulated area using a filter cassette and a calibrated air sampling pump to determine asbestos exposure.

Permissible exposure limit (PEL) - The level of exposure OSHA allows for an 8-hour time weighted average. For asbestos fibers, the eight (8) hour time weighted average PEL is 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter (0.1 f/cc) of air and the 30-minute Excursion Limit is 1.0 fibers per cubic centimeter (1 f/cc).

Personal protective equipment (PPE) – equipment designed to protect user from injury and/or specific job hazard. Such equipment may include protective clothing, hard hats, safety glasses, and respirators.

Pipe tunnel – An area, typically located adjacent to mechanical spaces or boiler rooms in which the pipes servicing the heating system in the building are routed to allow the pipes to access heating elements. These areas may contain asbestos pipe insulation, asbestos fittings, or asbestos-contaminated soil.

Polarized light microscopy (PLM) - Light microscopy using dispersion staining techniques and refractive indices to identify and quantify the type(s) of asbestos present in a bulk sample.

Polyethylene sheeting - Strong plastic barrier material 4 to 6 mils thick, semi-transparent, flame retardant per NFPA 241.

Positive/negative fit check - A method of verifying the seal of a facepiece respirator by temporarily occluding the filters and breathing in (inhaling) and then temporarily occluding the exhalation valve and breathing out (exhaling) while checking for inward or outward leakage of the respirator respectively.

Presumed ACM (PACM) - Thermal system insulation, surfacing, and flooring material installed in buildings prior to 1981. If the building owner has actual knowledge or should have known through the exercise of due diligence that other materials are ACM, they too must be treated as PACM. The designation of PACM may be rebutted pursuant to 29 CFR 1926.1101 (b).

Professional IH - An IH who meets the definition requirements of AIHA; meets the definition requirements of OSHA as a "Competent Person" at 29 CFR 1926.1101 (b); has completed two specialized EPA approved courses on management and supervision of asbestos abatement projects; has formal training in respiratory protection and waste disposal; and has a minimum of four projects of similar complexity with this project of which at least three projects serving as the supervisory IH. The PIH may be either the VA’s PIH (VPIH) or Contractor’s PIH (CPIH/CIH).

Project designer - A person who has successfully completed the training requirements for an asbestos abatement project designer as required by 40 CFR 763 Appendix C, Part I; (B)(5).

Assigned protection factor - A value assigned by OSHA/NIOSH to indicate the expected protection provided by each respirator class when the respirator is properly selected and worn correctly. The number indicates the reduction of exposure level from outside to inside the respirator facepiece.

Qualitative fit test (QLFT) - A fit test using a challenge material that can be sensed by the wearer if leakage in the respirator occurs.

Quantitative fit test (QNFT) - A fit test using a challenge material which is quantified outside and inside the respirator thus allowing the determination of the actual fit factor.

Regulated area - An area established by the employer to demarcate where Class I, II, III asbestos work is conducted, and any adjoining area where debris and waste from such asbestos work may accumulate; and a work area within which airborne concentrations of asbestos exceed, or there is a reasonable possibility they may exceed the PEL.

Regulated ACM (RACM) - Friable ACM; Category I non-friable ACM that has become friable; Category I non-friable ACM that will be or has been subjected to sanding, grinding, cutting, or abrading or; Category II non-friable ACM that has a high probability of becoming or has become crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder by the forces expected to act on the material in the course of the demolition or renovation operation.

Removal - All operations where ACM, PACM and/or RACM is taken out or stripped from structures or substrates, including demolition operations.

Renovation - Altering a facility or one or more facility components in any way, including the stripping or removal of asbestos from a facility component which does not involve demolition activity.

Repair - Overhauling, rebuilding, reconstructing, or reconditioning of structures or substrates, including encapsulation or other repair of ACM or PACM attached to structures or substrates.

Shower room - The portion of the PDF where personnel shower before leaving the regulated area.

Supplied air respirator (SAR) - A respiratory protection system that supplies minimum Grade D respirable air per ANSI/Compressed Gas Association Commodity Specification for Air, G-7.1-1989.

Surfacing ACM - A material containing more than 1 percent asbestos that is sprayed, troweled on, or otherwise applied to surfaces for acoustical, fireproofing, and other purposes.

Surfactant - A chemical added to water to decrease water's surface tension thus making it more penetrating into ACM.

Thermal system ACM - A material containing more than 1 percent asbestos applied to pipes, fittings, boilers, breeching, tanks, ducts, or other structural components to prevent heat loss or gain.

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) - A microscopy method that can identify and count asbestos fibers.

VA Professional Industrial Hygienist (VPIH/CIH) – The Department of Veterans Affairs Professional Industrial Hygienist must meet the qualifications of a PIH and may be a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).

VA Representative - The VA official responsible for on-going project work.

Visible emissions - Any emissions, which are visually detectable without the aid of instruments, coming from ACM/PACM/RACM/ACS or ACM waste material.

Waste/Equipment decontamination facility (W/EDF) – The area in which equipment is decontaminated before removal from the regulated area.

Waste generator - Any owner or operator whose act or process produces asbestos-containing waste material.

Waste shipment record - The shipping document, required to be originated and signed by the waste generator, used to track, and substantiate the disposition of asbestos-containing waste material.

Wet cleaning - The process of thoroughly eliminating, by wet methods, any asbestos contamination from surfaces or objects.