Asbestos Abatement & Removal of Hazardous Materials
Hazardous Materials Assessment & Abatement
Creekside’s principal is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. Creekside staff has completed several hundred hazardous material assessment and abatement projects since 1998. Most of the projects have involved pre-demolition surveys that are necessary for demolition contractors; others have involved routine asbestos or lead paint assessments to determine if building material replacement is needed and if an Operations & Maintenance Manual is required. Several comprehensive assessments have included testing for asbestos, lead paint, PCBs, radon, and mold. These assessments are typically completed for large commercial, industrial, or maritime applications.
Examples of Creekside’s Hazardous Materials WorkCommercial / Industrial Clients:# of AssessmentsAsbestos Assessments:86Mold Assessments:48Lead in Drinking water assessments:65Radon Assessments:54PCB Assessments:84Public Agency Clients:Asbestos, Lead Paint, PCB, Mercury Assessments:12Railroad Clients (AMTRAK):Multiple Asbestos, Lead Paint Surveys25
We also have licensed inspectors for asbestos, lead based paint, mold, radon, and PCBs and we are capable of identifying these compounds in samples, determining if they are required to be removed and disposed, and we frequently manage full-scale cleanup projects that require hazardous material mitigation.
Creekside is also licensed to decommission Underground Storage Tanks for commercial and residential properties. Creekside has provided comprehensive hazardous material assessments and abatement services for several large clients for the last 10 years. Our pre-demolition assessments include sampling and testing for asbestos, lead paint, electrical components with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury containing light fixtures.
Asbestos Abatement & Removal
Creekside can provide an Oregon licensed abatement contractor to abate asbestos materials in buildings. Abatement procedures include sealing off the subject areas with plastic sheeting, removing any known asbestos, cleaning the areas after removal, and disposing of the waste asbestos according to state regulations at an approved landfill. If necessary, air clearance testing can be provided to insure all airborne asbestos fibers have been removed. This air testing will insure that occupancy is safe after removal and it will be properly documented. Creekside will provide a letter report describing the work completed and we will provide waste disposal receipts for the facility records.
Typical Cost: $5,000-$15,000
Asbestos Re-Inspections / Survey Updates
Asbestos inspections (surveys) should be updated or re-done periodically, as asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and presumed ACM can become more deteriorated and dangerous. Creekside licensed asbestos inspectors will sample residential or commercial facilities for asbestos containing materials, and will provide an original or updated survey report documenting (including photos) the areas sampled, results of analysis, and if needed, recommendations for the next steps to take. Creekside can also label and post signs in areas of existing known asbestos.
Typical Cost: $500 – $1,000 + $50 per sample
Operations & Maintenance Plans (O&M)
In some cases, a building owner is not able to abate (remove) all of (or any of) the asbestos in a building. In these cases, a program to manage asbestos in-place is highly advisable, to avoid common law and contractual liability. According to Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations, building owners (who are also employers) are required to prevent their workers from being exposed to unacceptable concentrations of airborne asbestos. Implementing an Operations & Maintenance (O&M) plan to manage asbestos (and potential asbestos) materials will assist the building in complying with the law, and should keep occupants and workers safe from asbestos fibers.
Typical Cost: $3,000 – $6,500.
Creekside will tailor an O&M plan to the owner’s needs, which will aim to:
Develop an inventory of existing asbestos-containing materials
Minimize future release by controlling access to asbestos-containing materials
Develop handling procedures
Maintain ACM in place until it is eventually removed
Protect the occupants of the building from unknowing asbestos exposure.
A written Plan will address the following topics:
Notification
Work Practices
Surveillance
Recordkeeping
Work Controls
Training
Worker Protection
About Asbestos
Since 1978 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has banned the use of many asbestos products. Today, asbestos is most commonly found in older buildings; in pipe and furnace insulation materials, asbestos shingles, millboard, textured paints and other coating materials, and floor tiles. Elevated concentrations of airborne asbestos can occur after asbestos-containing materials are disturbed by brushing, cutting, sanding or other remodeling activities. Improper attempts to clean or remove these materials can release harmful asbestos fibers into the air.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been commonly used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation, and as a fire-retardant. The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) has defined “asbestos-containing materials,” or ACMs, as products that contain more than 1 percent asbestos by weight. Asbestos can cause Mesothelioma, Asbestosis, and lung cancer.