Class Code Information
Phraseology
Asbestos Removal Operations – Contractor – NOC – All Operations to CompletionIncludes employees engaged in sealing off work areas, removal, repair, enclosure or encapsulation of asbestos materials.
Description
Code 5473 applies to employers engaged in the removal of hazardous asbestos material from walls and ceilings of buildings. Walls are first erected with studs, plywood, and plastic sheets to seal off the decontamination work area from the outside atmosphere. Employees wear protective clothing and masks to protect them from contaminated particles from the asbestos. The asbestos is then removed by hand or with large vacuums. The employer wets the asbestos to prevent asbestos fibers from moving freely and to make the cleanup easier to accomplish. Wetting is accomplished with a hand spray pump and most removal also calls for scraping. Ceiling tiles may need to be lifted out of metal grid-work and many pipe coverings are merely unstrapped and lifted off. Some employers may have to erect scaffolding to reach overhead areas containing asbestos.
The vacuum also provides air filtration to the employees by removing the asbestos fibers in the air. Employees’ clothing and gear are washed down usually with a hose to remove asbestos fibers from their clothing.
Assignment by Analogy
Air monitoring for asbestos fibers by an asbestos removal contractor