Virginia Tech® home

Asbestos Inspectors

In accordance with Section 4.12 of the Department of General Service's "Construction and Professional Services Manual," all state-owned buildings for which construction was started before Jan. 1, 1985, are presumed to have asbestos-containing materials present and shall be inspected by a Virginia-licensed or properly certified asbestos inspector prior to submittal of the preliminary design for capital projects, and prior to submittal of the working drawings for non-capital projects. However, asbestos materials are still commercially available, and unless the university has a written certification on file from the architect, project engineer, or an accredited inspector that the building, area, or material does not contain asbestos, it must be inspected for asbestos-containing materials. Friable asbestos-containing materials was completely banned in the U.S., but commercially available non-friable products should be verified as non-asbestos-containing materials. Suspect products that should be sampled in buildings after 1985 include:

  • Roofing tars;
  • Mastics;
  • Caulking;
  • Glazing;
  • Glues;
  • Floor tile; and
  • Sheetrock joint compound.

Asbestos Inspectors must:

  • Be licensed/certified in accordance with DPOR Asbestos Licensing Regulations 18VAC15-20-459.1;
  • Conduct all asbestos inspections in accordance with 40 CFR 763.86;
  • Determine the presence and location of friable and non-friable asbestos-containing materials;
  • Determine the condition of asbestos-containing materials; and
  • Sample suspect asbestos-containing materials.

Responsibilities

The Asbestos Inspector is responsible for determining whether asbestos-containing material is present in a building, and assessing physical characteristics of that asbestos-containing material and of the building. Note: This information is used by the recipient of the Asbestos and Lead Report, and the management planner, to estimate the degree of the current or potential hazard posed by the asbestos-containing material.

A building inspection involves:

  • Determining the scope and purpose of the inspection.
    • Renovation (limited scope)
    • Demolition
  • An investigation of records for the specification of ACBM.
    • Review architectural and "as-built" drawings, addenda, work change orders, shop drawings, submittals, historical sampling data, etc.
    • Previous abatement records
  • Systematically inspect the building for suspect materials that are likely to contain asbestos.
    • Delineate homogeneous areas.
    • Identify TSI, surfacing, and miscellaneous products.
    • Determine friability of each material/product, assess, and classify.
  • Sampling and analyzing suspect materials to test for asbestos.
    • Develop a sampling plan for bulk samples.
    • Collect bulk samples of TSI, surfacing, and miscellaneous materials.
    • Have samples analyzed by an accredited laboratory.
    • Note: As an alternative to sampling and analysis, any suspect material can simply be assumed to contain asbestos.
  • Assessing the condition and location of ACBM.
    • Physical condition
    • Likelihood for disturbance

The Asbestos Inspector must provide the university with a report of the inspection, and shall contain the information specified. Inspection reports shall be included in construction documents as a means of communicating the presence of asbestos-containing material to contractors performing renovation or demolition work in the affected area.

Contact Information

Robin McCall-Miller, Occupational Safety Program Manager

Phone: 540-231-2341
Email: rmmiller@vt.edu

Tags