Asbestos Management

Purpose:

The purpose of this Order is to identify the Public Buildings Service (PBS) requirements for asbestos management necessary for compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and applicable State and local asbestos regulations.

Background:

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral used in a large assortment of commercial and industrial products due to its good insulating and tensile strength properties. Microscopic fibers from broken or deteriorated asbestos products can lead to disease or cancer when inhaled. Federal (referenced OSHA and EPA standards), state, and local regulations exist to limit human exposure and environmental contamination of asbestos-containing materials in Federal and commercial facilities through strict asbestos management, demolition, and disposal requirements.

Authority

1. 41 CFR § 102-80 establishes real property policy asbestos requirements for PBS and other Federal agencies.
2. 29 CFR § 1910.1001 establishes asbestos requirements for general industry.
3. 29 CFR § 1926.1101 establishes asbestos requirements for the construction industry.
4. 40 CFR Part 61 Subpart M, the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, establishes requirements for asbestos demolition and disposal.
5. 40 CFR Part 763 Subpart E, Appendix C, Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Abatement Reauthorization Act establishes asbestos training requirements (Model Accreditation Plan) for inspectors and management planners performing work in Federal facilities.
6. 40 CFR Part 302.4, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act establishes reporting requirements for asbestos released into the environment.

Applicability:

This Order  applies to all Federally owned facilities under the jurisdiction, custody and control of the General Services Administration (GSA) including facilities operating under a delegation of authority (GSA-controlled federally owned). The Order also applies to GSA leased facilities as leases awarded by GSA must include contractual requirements for asbestos certification and related information.

Cancellation:

PBS 1000.1A, dated April 11, 2022, is hereby canceled by this Order.

Summary of Changes:

1. Reduces redundant language.
2. Reformats to enhance usability.
3. Moves away from five-year reinspections to mandatory, well-defined annual visual inspections as part of a more adaptive, risk-based approach, ensuring consistent documentation.
4. Eliminates mandatory annual air sampling in specific buildings.
5. Reduces management plan requirements.
6. Better defines roles and responsibilities.
7. Better defines recordkeeping requirements.
8. Updates several technical requirements regarding sampling methodology in the Asbestos Management Desk Guide.

Policy:

1. Regulated asbestos in all GSA-controlled federally owned facilities, shall be managed in place unless the age and condition of the asbestos constitutes a risk to occupants that cannot be mitigated through ongoing management of the asbestos. Asbestos that cannot be managed in place must be subject to a response action to mitigate the ongoing risk.
    
2. All occupied GSA-controlled federally owned facilities, constructed before 1998,must be inspected for ACM.
    
3. Periodic surveillance of ACM must be performed at least annually in all GSA-controlled federally owned facilities that contain ACM or PACM, except for materials that are permanently enclosed. The asbestos inspection inventory list used for periodic surveillance must be updated accordingly as ACM is discovered to have been removed or undiscovered ACM is found.
    
4. Annual notification to employers of employees of the presence, location, and quantity of ACM or PACM must occur as required by OSHA. Additionally, notification must also be provided to prospective bidders and each contractor working in the facility about the presence, location, and quantity of ACM or PACM at the beginning of their contract.
    
5. Appropriate ACM warning signs must be posted as required by OSHA in GSA-controlled federally owned facilities. 
    
6. An asbestos pre-alteration assessment must be conducted prior to the commencement of any work that may disturb ACM. The assessment must occur in the part of the facility where the work is to take place and include an inspection and evaluation of the presence and condition of regulated asbestos to determine whether, and to what extent, asbestos may be disturbed. If the pre-alteration assessment finds undiscovered ACM, the asbestos inspection inventory list must be updated accordingly. 
    
7. All asbestos inspections and construction project designs involving regulated asbestos in GSA-controlled federally owned facilities must be performed by an EPA-accredited asbestos inspector or an EPA-accredited project designer.
    
8. All project monitoring must be performed on all asbestos abatement projects in GSA-controlled federally owned facilities.
    
9. After a project has been completed that impacts ACM, the asbestos inspection inventory list for the facility must be updated accordingly. 
    
10. All PBS employees who have the potential to come in contact with asbestos during their routine job duties based on their job hazard assessment, must complete the assigned OLU asbestos training course. 
     
11. All new leases awarded by GSA must include contractual requirements for asbestos certification and associated documentation.
     
12. Incidents involving a GSA employee and a fiber release episode resulting in airborne asbestos exposure must be documented and reported to the Employee Safety and Occupational Health Program within OAS.
     
13. Additional information on these topics is provided in the PBS Desk Guide For GSA Order PBS 1000.1B Asbestos Management. The Desk Guide provides additional technical information designed to supplement this Order.

Program Audit:

The Office of Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), PBS Financial Operations Division, with support from the PBS Office of Facilities Management, conducts annual reviews of asbestos inspections to obtain abatement cost estimates which are utilized to develop an asbestos liability estimate as required by Federal Accounting Standards. Construction project information is examined for accurate asbestos cost accounting. The reviews support establishment of overall environmental liabilities, which make up a portion of the annual agency financial report.