Report of the. UNBF Asbestos Steering Committee. for the. UNB Fiscal Years ending in 2011, 2012 & 2013

Transcription

1 Report of the UNBF Asbestos Steering Committee for the UNB Fiscal Years ending in 2011, 2012 & 2013 Prepared by: Dwight Ball Chair, ASC and Executive Director Office of Research Services May 31, 2013

2 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 3 COMMITTEE ACTIVITY... 3 ASBESTOS REMEDIATION... 4 ASBESTOS AWARENESS AND ABATEMENT TRAINING... 6 SUMMARY... 7 APPENDIX No APPENDIX No. 2 10

3 INTRODUCTION At the recommendation of Worksafe NB the Asbestos Steering Committee (ASC) was formed by the Director, Facilities Management during the summer of 2006 and held its first meeting on July 26, The first Chair of the Committee was Dr. Jane Fritz. In December 2008, Mr. Dwight Ball succeeded Dr. Fritz as Chair. The current membership of the Committee is: Mr. Wayne Braye, Asbestos Coordinator, Facilities Management Mr. Robert Randall, UNBF Joint Health & Safety Committee Mr. Bruce Good, HVAC & Refrigeration/Mechanical, Facilities Management Mr. Trevor Gonnason, UNBF Joint Health & Safety Committee Mr. Carmen Albright, Paint Shop, Facilities Management, UNBEA Mr. Andrew Baird, Buildings & Grounds Operations, Facilities Management, UNBEA Mr. Tom Gilmore, Energy Manager, Facilities Management Ms. Carol Anne Booker, Recording Secretary, Facilities Management The mandate of the Committee is to monitor the university s activities related to the identification and management of health and safety issues related to asbestos materials located on the campus. The Committee s Mandate, Value Statement, Terms of Reference, Composition and Meetings guide are attached as Appendix No. 1. The Committee s principal activity, as defined in its mandate statement, is the monitoring of activity related to the identification and management of asbestos materials. See: It is the Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) that guides the university s activities as they relate to asbestos. UNB has had an AMP since 1991 but the most up-to-date plan was commissioned, accepted and implemented in the summer of It was most recently updated on January 31, This document is available at: Furthermore, details of the university s implementation of the AMP are available at: COMMITTEE ACTIVITY The ASC meets regularly, on the fourth Wednesday every second month, to consider Committee business based on a prepared agenda. Decisions on issues are arrived at through discussion and development of a consensus but Robert s Rules of Order prevail. Page 3

4 Every meeting involves the presentation of an update from the Asbestos Coordinator of all activities on the campus that involve asbestos containing materials. The Committee s primary focus is the application of the AMP and, where necessary, the formulation of recommendations related to its interpretation and/or implementation. ASBESTOS REMEDIATION Facilities Management and its contractors deal with asbestos containing materials on an ongoing basis, given the age of the building inventory on the campus. Asbestos containing materials may be encountered and have to be dealt with for a number of reasons including space renovations or repair, infrastructure renovations or repair and catastrophic occurrences (eg. water incursion). Depending upon the circumstances the AMP provides direction for the problem to be dealt with in one of two ways: removal or encapsulation. Both activities require strict adherence to detailed materials handling protocols and procedures, which require the proper training of all involved personnel, be they UNBF personnel or contracted personnel. Those protocols and procedures protect not only the personnel undertaking the work but are designed to prevent exposure of all persons normally using or accessing the subject work space. The Asbestos Coordinator oversees all asbestos remediation projects guided by an inventory of known asbestos containing locations on campus. This inventory, maintained in a database and depicted on floor plans, is updated as each remediation project is completed. In calendar years 2011 and 2012, 638 asbestos work requests were handled and to the end of May 2013, 107 were handled. Since the establishment of the Committee, approximately 1800 requests have been successfully completed. Note, however, that prior to 2008, the work request tracking system was not fully developed and implemented so metrics for that early period are not available. When the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres increases, more stringent operations are required for the remediation of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs). Procedures are categorized as Class1, Class 2 or Class 3, and are governed by separate and distinct work procedures. Properly trained Facilities Management employees may conduct only Class 1 operations with the approval of the AMP Coordinator. All other asbestos related work must be conducted by properly trained and certified outside contractors. The remediation procedures are briefly defined as follows, with detailed definitions found in the AMP: Class 1: Asbestos related work that has minimal risk of releasing asbestos fibres. However, regulations require that precautions be adequate to protect workers from release of asbestos fibres. Lowrisk work procedures cover almost all the asbestos related work involving non-friable ACMs (ie. an asbestos product in which the asbestos fibres are bound or locked into the product matrix, Page 4

5 so that the fibres are not readily released) and some very limited activities associated with small quantities of friable ACMs (ie. an asbestos product which can be crumbled, pulverized or powdered by hand pressure). Class 2: Asbestos related work that includes any minor activity that may disturb or involve direct contact with small quantities of friable ACMs that may result in significant potential exposure to airborne asbestos fibres with some health risk. Class 3: Asbestos related work that has a potential for high exposure to airborne asbestos fibres with high health risk. As part of the university s AMP, Facilities Management has, in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 calendar years, completed the following asbestos abatement/restoration projects: - the removal of a total of 47,000 ft² of asbestos containing floor tiles (to provide context for the size of this area, Sir Howard Douglas Hall has a total of 36,330 ft2 of floor space); - the removal of 81,200 ft² of asbestos containing ceiling tiles (to provide context for the size of this area, the Elizabeth Parr-Johston Residence has a total of 74,237 ft2 of floor space); - the removal of 5400 asbestos containing insulated pipe fittings; - the removal of 7200 Lin. Ft. of pipe insulation; - the replacement of 38 Fire Doors; - the removal of 1650 ft² of blanket insulation; and - the stripping of 8 tanks/vessels, 33,625 ft² of Drywall/Plaster and flex connects, lab counter tops, light fixtures gaskets, fume hoods and chalkboards. The graph below depicts the number of asbestos abatement/restoration projects completed in each month of the years indicated. Page 5

6 As an example of the tracking and reporting tools used by Facilities Management, the Occurrence Table for Tilley Hall (Appendix No. 2) shows the known Asbestos materials present as well as their removal, which are highlighted in green. The floor plan drawings (Appendix No. 2), which correspond with the database, also show in highlighted green the areas cleared and now designated as Non-Detect for ACM s. Facilities Management staff, after Class 1 ACM Abatement training, have been fitted with specialized maintenance equipment to permit the proper handling and collection of ACMs when undertaking routine maintenance activities. The equipment consists of a HEPA vacuum with a drill and necessary accessories, a negative air unit and commercial dehumidifier. From time to time occurrences, such as fire and flood, result in disturbance of asbestos containing materials (ACM). Such occurrences have been swiftly and appropriately dealt with through application of the AMP s First Response Abatement procedures. The fire in McLeod House and the floods in the IUC, R.N. Scott Hall and Toole Hall are examples of such occurrences. As part of the Asbestos Management Program and as the need arises, assessments of buildings and areas contained within the buildings are performed. In 2012 assessments were performed in Toole Hall, Joy Kidd House, the tunnels, the Central Heating Plant, MacLaggan Hall, Ludlow Hall, Carleton Hall, Memorial Hall, Lady Beaverbrook Residence, Harriet Irving library, Head Hall, L.B. Gym, Ludlow Hall, Tilley Hall, Keirstead Hall and in the Equipment Rooms. As a result of the annual Tunnel assessments great strides have been made in improving the environment of these areas, including the lowering of the risks of ACM s being damaged during routine operations. As part of the management program, Facilities Management has developed a drawing to assist in the AMP that designates new areas that are Non-Detect for ACMs associated with pipe insulation in the service tunnels. To aid further, sections of piping are now banded with metal straps embossed with No-Asbestos at intervals of 10. ASBESTOS AWARENESS AND ABATEMENT TRAINING Training is an area of particular interest to the Committee. The university has commissioned the development of a number of training programs under the auspices of the AMP. To date in excess of 250 persons have attended these training sessions representing Information Technology Services, Facilities Management, OMNI, Central Heating Plant, Security and Residential Life. These programs were prepared by Jacques Whitford Stantec Limited and their delivery was initiated in 2009 as follows: July, 2009: Asbestos Awareness and Management Program Overview - aimed at providing staff with knowledge on the AMP. Page 6

7 Class 2 and Class 3 Asbestos Abatement - aimed at providing staff with knowledge on Class 2 (minor removal of friable material) and Class 3 (major removal of friable asbestos containing material) asbestos abatement work. October, 2009: Asbestos Management Program - aimed at providing supervisory staff with detailed knowledge of the AMP. Class 1 Abatement Operations - Aimed at providing staff with knowledge on the requirements for Class 1 (non-friable abatement and small clean up of friable debris) asbestos abatement work. Class 2 and Class 3 Asbestos Abatement - aimed at providing staff with knowledge on Class 2 (minor removal of friable material) and Class 3 (major removal of friable asbestos containing material) asbestos abatement work. Current/ongoing: Contractor Awareness Training - a Power Point presentation has been prepared and distributed aimed at UNBF contracted service providers which makes them aware of the AMP and its databases Asbestos Awareness and Management Program Overview - aimed at providing staff with knowledge on the AMP Code of Practice (CoP) Respiratory Protection for Class 1 Asbestos Work - aimed at UNBF staff to form part of the AMP and Facilities Management overall CoP for respiratory protection and training; part of continued efforts in asbestos management of Class 1 work SUMMARY The ASC continues to be functional and productive. It is a valuable tool being used to openly discuss concerns, come to decisions and make recommendations to the university on all maters related to the handling of asbestos containing materials on the campus. All parties believe that there is an on-going role for the Committee in overseeing the application of the AMP. The university continues to make very good progress with asbestos abatement. The removal or encapsulation protocols, abatement procedures, training, and inspection schedules, all defined under the AMP, are facilitating the AMP s stated goals. As a result of the heightened level of awareness and knowledge amongst the university community, Facilities Management staff and its contractors are performing abatement activities daily without incident. Page 7

8 APPENDIX NO. 1 UNBF ASBESTOS STEERING COMMITTEE MANDATE To monitor the university s activities related to the identification and management of health and safety issues related to asbestos materials located on the campus. VALUE STATEMENT The University of New Brunswick recognizes the importance of providing a safe and healthy environment for all its employees and students, which includes keeping them free from unsafe or unidentified occurrences of asbestos. The University further recognizes the added responsibility it has in providing clear and timely procedures and communications in managing risk, which includes the risk of unintended exposure to asbestos. TERMS OF REFERENCE The Committee will focus on ensuring that the University has an effective and clearly communicated plan for managing asbestos on campus, and that the plan is followed by both management and employees in an efficient and effective manner. The Committee is seen as an oversight group prepared to examine and find solutions for asbestos management issues and to make recommendations to Senior Management and to the Director of Facilities Management. It reports to the President, the Vice President Fredericton, and Vice President (Finance and Corporate Services). The Committee will provide, at a minimum, an annual report for presentation to Senior Management. Areas of interest may include: The UNBF Asbestos Management Plan Training (topics, frequency, audience, presentation methods) Communication strategy Oversight of health assessment for employees. It is not the intent that the Committee carry out the work of industrial engineering experts. It is also recognized that some of the subject matter to be addressed is sensitive in nature and should be treated accordingly. The Committee takes the view that everyone is working together in a constructive fashion to make a safe, trusting, and trustworthy environment in which to work. Page 8

9 COMPOSITION The following representatives will form the Steering Committee and will serve for a two-year renewable term. The membership will be staggered so that there is continuity on the Committee. Two Facilities Management employees, members of UNBEA Two Facilities Management employees, management representatives One Facilities Management employee, member of the Joint Health and Safety Committee One management representative, member of the Joint Health and Safety Committee Manager of Environmental Health and Safety ex-officio (non-voting) Representative of Senior Administration, to serve as Chair Industrial hygienist in an advisory role (non-voting) Total number of committee members: 9 (including 1 ex officio member, 1 advisory, and 1 Chair) MEETINGS The Committee will be guided by the following activities: Regularly scheduled meetings with set agendas, not to exceed two hours in length. May need more frequent meetings for urgent issues. The need for a quorum and voting rights of the chairperson will be decided by the Committee when the Terms of Reference are approved. Quorum will be 4 members, not including Chair or industrial hygienist. Chairperson will vote in the case of a tie. Minutes of the meeting shall be forwarded to the Committee members, and the Director of Facilities Management. The Committee will consider additional communication needs as appropriate. An annual report will be forwarded by the Chair to the President, the Vice-President Fredericton and Vice-President (Finance and Corporate Services). This report will also be available at the Asbestos website. Developed by Jane Fritz (last revision August 2006) Revised: June 1, 2010 Revised: April 27, 2011 Current: March 27, 2013 Page 9

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