I Have Asbestos in My Building, Now What?

Finding asbestos in an existing building doesn’t automatically answer what the project should do next.

The project team is planning a renovation when someone delivers the news:

“We found asbestos.”

The immediate questions are predictable.

How much will removal cost? How long will it delay the project? Do we have to take all of it out?

Those may become important questions, but they aren’t necessarily the first ones.

Start with: What was identified? Where is it? What condition is it in? And will the planned work disturb it?

Asbestos-containing material, commonly called ACM, can exist in older buildings in insulation, fireproofing, flooring, ceiling materials, pipe insulation and other building products.

Finding it does not automatically mean that everything containing asbestos must be removed. Material in appropriate condition may sometimes be managed in place. Renovation, remodeling and building-system replacement, however, increase the possibility that existing ACM will be disturbed. US EPA

Start With the Building and the Scope

The asbestos question should be connected to what the project actually intends to do.

If suspect material is located above a ceiling that will remain untouched, the project implications may be very different from those created by demolition in the same area.

The same applies to pipe insulation, flooring, wall materials, fireproofing and other potentially affected components.

Before work proceeds, the project team needs to understand where known or suspected ACM intersects with the planned renovation or demolition. Depending on the circumstances, suspect material that could be disturbed may need to be sampled and analyzed or treated as asbestos-containing material. US EPA

The owner-side question is therefore broader than:

“Do we have asbestos?”

It is:

“Where does the asbestos intersect with the work we’re planning?”

Then Decide How It Will Be Managed

Depending on the material, its condition, the planned work and applicable regulations, the appropriate response may involve managing ACM in place, repair, encapsulation, enclosure or removal.

That decision belongs with qualified asbestos professionals and the applicable regulatory requirements—not with someone making an assumption during a construction meeting.

If ACM remains in the building, its location and condition should be documented and managed so that future maintenance or construction work doesn’t inadvertently disturb it. US EPA

Don’t Let the Project Discover It Twice

This is where asbestos becomes a capital-project management issue.

If ACM is identified, the information needs to make its way into the project documents, schedule, contractor coordination and building records.

A renovation team should know before demolition begins whether its work could encounter known or suspected ACM.

If abatement is required, that work needs to be incorporated into the project sequence rather than treated as an unexpected interruption after construction starts.

And if ACM remains in place, the building needs an appropriate record of what remains and where it is located.

The Regulations Matter

Asbestos work is regulated at multiple levels.

EPA requirements apply to certain renovation and demolition activities, while OSHA regulates worker exposure during construction activities involving asbestos, including demolition, removal, alteration, repair, maintenance and renovation. State and local requirements may be more stringent than the federal requirements. US EPA

That means an owner shouldn’t use an old project, another building or a general rule of thumb to decide what is required on the current project.

The project team should confirm the requirements applicable to the building, jurisdiction, scope of work and asbestos-containing materials involved.

The Owner’s Question Comes First

Finding asbestos can sound like the answer to a project problem.

It isn’t.

It’s information that changes the questions the team needs to answer.

What is it? Where is it? Will we disturb it? What are we required to do about it? And what does that decision do to the scope, cost and schedule?

Answer those questions early enough, and asbestos becomes something the project plans around rather than something demolition discovers.

Leadership takeaway: Known hazardous materials belong in the project plan before construction reaches them.