Saturday 20, November, 2004, 09:30-18:30, (16:00-17:00, Q&A) No.3 CR
Sunday 21, November, 2004, 09:30-12:30, No.3 CR
Poster Sessions
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Andy Oberta
Environmental Consultant, Environmental Consultancy, the U.S.A.
At the Hellenic Asbestos Conference two years ago, Andy Oberta announced that ASTM International would develop a new standard. The standard has been published and he expresses his thanks to those who reviewed it and provided comments.
The problem presented by asbestos-cement products is the release of asbestos fibers due to natural causes such as the weathering shown here and, more to the point of this standard, by physical disturbance during maintenance, renovation and repair operations.
The standard known as E2394 addresses the problem of working with existing asbestos-cement products when it is not feasible to remove them instead.
E2394 describes the types of work that can create dust and release asbestos fibers into the air. Following the procedures reduces the chance for exposure to airborne fibers.
You are probably familiar with the many forms of asbestos-cement products, the most widely-used application of asbestos fiber in the world. Here are a few examples.
E2394 explains why these work practices are needed and the principles behind their use. Supervisors can use the procedures in the appendices to train their workers and as checklists when doing the work at the job site.
These examples illustrate two types of work practices that are covered in E2394. The hole in the air duct would be cut with a hand saw. The hole is being drilled in the siding with a power drill at low speed.
Dust and fiber release are controlled mainly with wet methods – soapy water and shaving cream, for instance and by doing the work with hand tools whenever possible. Power tools and special vacuum cleaners require resources for proper operation and maintenance that may not be available to some users of E2394.
E2394 does not encourage the installation of new asbestos-cement products such as this roof and walls. It is not intended for largescale abatement projects, such as removing siding as shown here, although some of the procedures may be applicable.
Supervisors and managers who direct maintenance, renovation and repair work should become familiar with its underlying principles as well as the detailed procedures. Government and NGO representatives should use it to developregulations and programs to protect workers and their communities.
E2394 may be purchased on-line from the ASTM website at a current price of $38USD in North America and $41USD elsewhere.If you want to obtain it in your own country, a list of sources is posted on the website at the address shown here.
ASTM welcomes comments and inquiries about their standards, which continue to be improved after they are published. For information on the standards organization in your country, consult the list mentioned above.
Training is an important part of using a standard. ASTM provides training in countries where their standards are used. Your inquiries about training on the use of E2394 are invited.
In its 106 years of existence, ASTM has produced over 11,000 consensus standards that are used throughout the world. Theresources to develop new standards, improve existing ones and provide training is made possible by the sale of standards and related publications.