SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently fined five Arizona charter school operators a combined total of $ 35,700 for Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act violations.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently fined five Arizona charter school operators a combined total of $ 35,700 for Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act violations.
In April 2007, EPA inspectors discovered the school operators failed to conduct inspections to determine if asbestos-containing material was present in school buildings, and all had failed to develop asbestos management plans. The schools have since completed inspections and have developed asbestos management plans.
“All schools, including charter schools, need to conduct asbestos inspections and have asbestos management plans,” said Katherine Taylor, associate director for the Communities and Ecosystems Division in EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “We are pleased that these schools have now conducted inspections and put asbestos management plans into place, as asbestos in schools has the potential for endangering the health of students, teachers, and others, including maintenance workers.”
The schools are:
* Phoenix Advantage Charter School: The operator, Phoenix Advantage Charter School, Inc. was fined $12,600. The school’s first management plan documented over 10,000 square feet of assumed asbestos-containing materials. The revised management plan shows after more testing and abatement actions, the school building still contains 3,200 square feet of actual or assumed asbestos-containing materials.
* The Arts Academy at Estrella Mountain and South Mountain: The operator, PCL Charter Schools, was fined $10,200. The Estrella Mountain location was found to not have any asbestos containing materials, while the South Mountain location’s management plan shows that the school contains 2,059 square feet of asbestos-containing materials.
* The Hearn Academy: The operator, Ball Hearn, was fined $8,800 and the school was found to contain 1,230 square feet of asbestos-containing materials.
* Tucson Preparatory School: The operator, Tucson Preparatory Partnership, Inc., was fined $200 for not having a management plan at its former location on North Oracle Road. An asbestos inspection conducted by the new tenants of the North Oracle building identified no asbestos-containing materials.
* AAEC at Paradise Valley, South Mountain, and Red Mountain: The operator, Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center, Inc. was fined $3,900 for failing to conduct an inspection of Paradise Valley school, and for not having management plans at its Paradise Valley, South Mountain, and Red Mountain schools. No asbestos-containing materials were identified at these schools.
Federal law requires schools to conduct an initial inspection using accredited inspectors to determine if asbestos-containing building material is present and develop a management plan to address the asbestos materials found in the school buildings. In certain circumstances, an inspection is not required if the school has a signed statement from the architect or builder stating that a new building was constructed with no asbestos-containing materials.
Schools that do not contain asbestos-containing material must still develop a management plan that identifies a designated person and includes the architect’s statement or building inspection and the annual notification to parents, teachers, and employees regarding the availability of the plan.
The EPA’s rules also require the school to appoint a designated person who is trained to oversee asbestos activities and ensure compliance with federal regulations. Finally, schools must conduct periodic surveillance and re-inspections, properly train the maintenance and custodial staff, and maintain records in the management plan.
Local education agencies must keep an updated copy of the management plan in their administrative office and at the school, which must be made available for inspection by parents, teachers, and the general public. Asbestos is a known environmental carcinogen. Individuals exposed to airborne asbestos fibers could contract illnesses such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.
For more information on asbestos in schools visit: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/asbestos_in_schools.html
Showing posts with label EPA asbestos regulations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EPA asbestos regulations. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Thursday, November 13, 2008
EPA Settles with Three Maryland Schools and One School District to Ensure Safe Management of Asbestos
PHILADELPHIA (November 12, 2008 ) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has settled four cases in Maryland in an effort to ensure the safe management of asbestos-containing materials in schools.
In separate consent agreements with EPA, the Board of Education of Dorchester County Schools, St. Timothy’s School in Stevenson, Md., the First English Evangelical Lutheran Church preschool and kindergarten in Baltimore, and Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church School in Kingsville, Md., have settled alleged violations of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), the federal law requiring schools to inspect and manage asbestos-containing building materials.
The AHERA violations the three individual schools and the one school district were cited for include failing to include all school buildings in the management plan, failure to conduct an initial inspection of all school buildings to determine if there was any asbestos located in the facility, failure to submit an asbestos management plan, failure to conduct reinspections of all friable and nonfriable asbestos every three years, and failure to provide annual notification of the management plan to parents, teachers, and employee organizations.
EPA did not find that students or other building occupants were exposed to asbestos as a result of the alleged violations. The schools that were cited have now certified their compliance with the AHERA requirements.
Under AHERA, EPA may agree to reduce or eliminate penalties due to the schools’ cooperation with EPA, compliance activities and expenditures. The four Maryland settlement agreements are:
1. EPA inspected St. Timothy’s School, Stevenson, Md., and cited it for failing to maintain copies of updated management plans in the school, failing to inspect the athletic complex, and failing to provide annual notification to parents, teachers, and employees. The school has spent at least $17,195 to come into compliance, so there is a zero penalty amount.
2. EPA inspected 13 schools in the Dorchester County Public School district, headquartered in Cambridge, Md. The violations vary from school to school but include failure to conduct reinspections of nine facilities every three years and failure to make management plans available for inspection. Dorchester County Public Schools has spent at least $55,250 to comply with AHERA regulations, so there is zero penalty amount.
3. EPA cited First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Md. for AHERA violations discovered during inspections by the Maryland Department of the Environment, which included failure to have an initial inspection conducted at the facility to determine whether there was any asbestos in the facility prior to its use as a school, and failure to submit an asbestos management plan for the facility. EPA determined the civil penalty to be $5,500. The school has spent $3,000 on compliance and agrees to an additional penalty of $2,500.
4. EPA cited Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kingsville, Md., for failing to include the parish hall, a school building used for recreational activities, in the management plans. The school has spent $5,682 to come into compliance, so there is a zero penalty amount.
Asbestos was once widely used in building materials due to its insulation and fire retardant properties. Damaged or disturbed asbestos may release fibers which, if inhaled, create a risk of asbestosis, lung cancer, and other respiratory illnesses. However, intact, undisturbed asbestos materials generally do not pose a health risk, if managed in accordance with AHERA safeguards. For general information about asbestos and its regulation, visit www.epa.gov/asbestos. Information on asbestos in schools is available at www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/asbestos_in_schools.html.
Today’s action contributes to EPA's record-shattering enforcement results for the 2008 Fiscal Year. To date, EPA has concluded enforcement actions requiring polluters to spend an estimated $11 billion on pollution controls, clean-up and environmental projects, an all time record for EPA. After these activities are completed, EPA expects annual pollution reductions of more than three billion pounds.
Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/e9e2fdab6e1904e0852574ff006a6447!OpenDocument
In separate consent agreements with EPA, the Board of Education of Dorchester County Schools, St. Timothy’s School in Stevenson, Md., the First English Evangelical Lutheran Church preschool and kindergarten in Baltimore, and Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church School in Kingsville, Md., have settled alleged violations of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), the federal law requiring schools to inspect and manage asbestos-containing building materials.
The AHERA violations the three individual schools and the one school district were cited for include failing to include all school buildings in the management plan, failure to conduct an initial inspection of all school buildings to determine if there was any asbestos located in the facility, failure to submit an asbestos management plan, failure to conduct reinspections of all friable and nonfriable asbestos every three years, and failure to provide annual notification of the management plan to parents, teachers, and employee organizations.
EPA did not find that students or other building occupants were exposed to asbestos as a result of the alleged violations. The schools that were cited have now certified their compliance with the AHERA requirements.
Under AHERA, EPA may agree to reduce or eliminate penalties due to the schools’ cooperation with EPA, compliance activities and expenditures. The four Maryland settlement agreements are:
1. EPA inspected St. Timothy’s School, Stevenson, Md., and cited it for failing to maintain copies of updated management plans in the school, failing to inspect the athletic complex, and failing to provide annual notification to parents, teachers, and employees. The school has spent at least $17,195 to come into compliance, so there is a zero penalty amount.
2. EPA inspected 13 schools in the Dorchester County Public School district, headquartered in Cambridge, Md. The violations vary from school to school but include failure to conduct reinspections of nine facilities every three years and failure to make management plans available for inspection. Dorchester County Public Schools has spent at least $55,250 to comply with AHERA regulations, so there is zero penalty amount.
3. EPA cited First English Evangelical Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Md. for AHERA violations discovered during inspections by the Maryland Department of the Environment, which included failure to have an initial inspection conducted at the facility to determine whether there was any asbestos in the facility prior to its use as a school, and failure to submit an asbestos management plan for the facility. EPA determined the civil penalty to be $5,500. The school has spent $3,000 on compliance and agrees to an additional penalty of $2,500.
4. EPA cited Saint Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kingsville, Md., for failing to include the parish hall, a school building used for recreational activities, in the management plans. The school has spent $5,682 to come into compliance, so there is a zero penalty amount.
Asbestos was once widely used in building materials due to its insulation and fire retardant properties. Damaged or disturbed asbestos may release fibers which, if inhaled, create a risk of asbestosis, lung cancer, and other respiratory illnesses. However, intact, undisturbed asbestos materials generally do not pose a health risk, if managed in accordance with AHERA safeguards. For general information about asbestos and its regulation, visit www.epa.gov/asbestos. Information on asbestos in schools is available at www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/asbestos_in_schools.html.
Today’s action contributes to EPA's record-shattering enforcement results for the 2008 Fiscal Year. To date, EPA has concluded enforcement actions requiring polluters to spend an estimated $11 billion on pollution controls, clean-up and environmental projects, an all time record for EPA. After these activities are completed, EPA expects annual pollution reductions of more than three billion pounds.
Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/e9e2fdab6e1904e0852574ff006a6447!OpenDocument
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Asbestos Advisor PC Compliance Program
The Asbestos Advisor is an interactive compliance assistance tool. Once installed on your PC, it can interview you about buildings and worksites, and the kinds of tasks workers perform there. It will produce guidance on how the Asbestos standard may apply to those buildings and that work. Its guidance depends on your answers. It can provide general guidance and may, also, be focused on a particular project. It provides pop-up definitions through "hypertext".
Version 2.0 reflects updates for revisions, corrections and clarifications of the rule published by OSHA in Federal Register September 29, 1995 and August 23, 1996. The program is not intended to replace or amend the official text of the regulation, as published in 29 CFR 1910.1001 (general industry), 1915.1001 (shipbuilding), and 1926.1101 (construction). The Asbestos Advisor computer program is intended to provide an introduction to the scope and logic of the regulation and summary guidance to facilitate compliance. Effort has been made to insure the accuracy of information provided by the program, but the guidance provided by the program should not be relied upon as being comprehensive or binding on the government. The Asbestos Advisor's option listed as "Provide detailed text of regulations" allows the user to view and print the full regulation texts associated with selected topics. Users are encouraged to subsequently read the full text of the OSHA Asbestos Standards (29 CFR 1910, 1915, and 1926), and to seek appropriate legal counsel.
For complete information and to download program go to www.osha.gov/dts/osta/oshasoft/asbestos/index.html
Version 2.0 reflects updates for revisions, corrections and clarifications of the rule published by OSHA in Federal Register September 29, 1995 and August 23, 1996. The program is not intended to replace or amend the official text of the regulation, as published in 29 CFR 1910.1001 (general industry), 1915.1001 (shipbuilding), and 1926.1101 (construction). The Asbestos Advisor computer program is intended to provide an introduction to the scope and logic of the regulation and summary guidance to facilitate compliance. Effort has been made to insure the accuracy of information provided by the program, but the guidance provided by the program should not be relied upon as being comprehensive or binding on the government. The Asbestos Advisor's option listed as "Provide detailed text of regulations" allows the user to view and print the full regulation texts associated with selected topics. Users are encouraged to subsequently read the full text of the OSHA Asbestos Standards (29 CFR 1910, 1915, and 1926), and to seek appropriate legal counsel.
For complete information and to download program go to www.osha.gov/dts/osta/oshasoft/asbestos/index.html
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Dealing with Debris and Damaged Buildings
As per the EPA - EPA's guidance has been requested on the demolition of structurally unsound buildings damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Various federal regulations apply to building demolition activities. Areas of primary federal concern include asbestos demolition requirements, the proper disposal of electrical equipment containing PCBs (i.e., distribution transformers and capacitors) and storage tanks. EPA recognizes the difficult circumstances faced in demolishing structurally unsound buildings damaged by Hurricane Katrina may make full compliance difficult. However, in any event, you should take the actions set forth below to the extent feasible.
Efforts to restore the damaged areas to their pre-disaster condition often involve removing or repairing damaged structures. There may be a natural tendency at this stage to overlook certain hazards, such as asbestos, that are not immediately life threatening. However, such hazards are serious and may manifest themselves many years from the time of exposure and should be taken into consideration. Given the health hazards associated with asbestos, PCBs, lead, and other harmful substances, it is reasonable that adequate measures be taken during emergency situations to minimize exposure to such materials from the demolition of buildings.
The following guidelines are provided to help minimize the health, safety and environmental risks associated with the demolition of structurally unsound buildings (structures that remain standing but are in danger of imminent collapse). In the case of such buildings it would be unsafe to enter or inspect a structure to determine the amount, types, and location of building materials containing asbestos, PCBs, lead, or other harmful substances. This guidance does not apply to the demolition of hurricane damaged but structurally sound buildings.
This guidance remains in effect through December 31, 2005, and applies only to areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
To the extent feasible, efforts should be made to perform the following steps:
Go to to http://www.epa.gov/katrina/debris.html for remainder of article
Efforts to restore the damaged areas to their pre-disaster condition often involve removing or repairing damaged structures. There may be a natural tendency at this stage to overlook certain hazards, such as asbestos, that are not immediately life threatening. However, such hazards are serious and may manifest themselves many years from the time of exposure and should be taken into consideration. Given the health hazards associated with asbestos, PCBs, lead, and other harmful substances, it is reasonable that adequate measures be taken during emergency situations to minimize exposure to such materials from the demolition of buildings.
The following guidelines are provided to help minimize the health, safety and environmental risks associated with the demolition of structurally unsound buildings (structures that remain standing but are in danger of imminent collapse). In the case of such buildings it would be unsafe to enter or inspect a structure to determine the amount, types, and location of building materials containing asbestos, PCBs, lead, or other harmful substances. This guidance does not apply to the demolition of hurricane damaged but structurally sound buildings.
This guidance remains in effect through December 31, 2005, and applies only to areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
To the extent feasible, efforts should be made to perform the following steps:
Go to to http://www.epa.gov/katrina/debris.html for remainder of article
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