We provide comprehensive services relative to asbestos. Principals of the firm have been involved in the specialized area of asbestos evaluation and control since the late 1970s. Our staff holds accreditations in asbestos inspection, management planning, and abatement design. Recognized as experts in the field, our staff and it principals have authored publications on asbestos control in buildings that have become industry standards for this type of work.
We have surveyed hundreds of buildings with asbestos-containing materials, and then evaluated and developed control programs for these materials. Our asbestos consulting services cover a variety of applications, including the following:
- AHERA compliance surveys
- Abatement design
- Abatement project management
- Phase contrast microscopy (PCM)
- Pre-demolition assessment and compliance
- Pre-renovation assessment and compliance
- Roof inspections
- Asbestos product identification
- Due diligence surveys
- Dust, air, and bulk sampling
Once an asbestos abatement project has been initiated, we assist a building owner/facility manager to select qualified asbestos abatement firms, and to develop contract documents (drawings and specifications) for the work. Once a contractor is selected we assist the owner in several areas, including the following:
- Generate a work authorization for the contractor
- Execute the required Federal NESHAP notification
- Coordinate access to the site
- Monitor contractor activities
- Verify all quantities and any Time & Material expenses
- Verify worker training and medical clearance
- Serve as liaison with the local NESHAP inspector
- Provide contract administration services, and monitor the Contractor
- Conduct daily air sampling and on-site air sample analysis
- Provide a final visual inspection
- Conduct TEM or PCM final air clearance
- Provide a comprehensive final report to the owner, with copies of all certificates, air sample reports, and waste shipment records
Asbestos Surveys: We perform different types of surveys as required by a building or facility owner/manager.
Pre-demolition surveys identify asbestos-containing materials in structures scheduled for demolition. The inspections are intrusive and destructive. Materials identified as containing asbestos are segregated into friable, potentially friable, and non-friable materials under the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulation. The building owner is presented with various options depending on the type, quantity, and condition of materials identified.
Pre-renovation surveys identify asbestos-containing materials in structures scheduled for renovation without removal of load-bearing structures. The surveys are generally limited to the scope of the renovation and may not include the complete structure. In contrast to pre-demolition surveys, we must consider any material containing even trace amounts of asbestos as regulated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Construction Standard. The building owner is presented with various options depending on the type, quantity, and condition of materials identified.
Due Diligence surveys assist owners of buildings built before 1980, who have an obligation under the OSHA Construction Standard to identify thermal system insulation or surfacing materials in their buildings and either have them sampled or assume they contain asbestos. This type of survey provides building owners with information regarding the type, quantity, and condition of identified asbestos-containing materials in their building for the purpose of preventing exposure to building occupants and outside contractor personnel.
Roofing surveys identify asbestos-containing materials in roofing, which presents unique challenges for asbestos inspectors; access is difficult and sample locations must be weatherproofed following the collection of samples. We have the equipment and experience to perform roofing surveys and protect the integrity of the roof membrane pending renovation. Our roofing surveys provide the building owners with a breakdown of all layers of roofing, and also identify exterior architectural and mechanical systems that may contain asbestos.
Roger Morse AIA, Founder and President of the firm, is the principal author of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) “Asbestos Abatement and Management in Buildings, Model Guide Specification.” This document sets forth generally recognized work practices for removal of asbestos-containing materials and has become a standard for this type of work.
Mr. Morse also served as the representative for the architectural community to the asbestos committee that developed the AHERA regulation through the process of regulatory negotiation (RegNeg). He represented the AIA on the EPA committee which developed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) regulation. He was a member of the EPA Peer Review Committee for AHERA Inspector/Management Planner Certification course. In addition to teaching EPA asbestos classes, he wrote the section “Surveying for Asbestos” for the EPA course training manual.
Representative Projects:
Here are some examples of past projects that illustrate our approach.