ROCHESTER, NY - ACCA of Rochester drew a crowd to its recent asbestos certification seminar, showing that this is indeed a hot topic.

Both federal and state regulations govern asbestos. Federal regulations are enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In New York, state regulations are enforced by the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).

There are four classes of work and three levels of training. The two-hour seminar provided training and certification to do class IV work, which is contact and cleanup of asbestos-containing material (ACM) during custodial activities. For class III work - repair and maintenance operations - two-day EPA training is required.

For class II, removal of non-friable ACMs such as floor tile, or class I, removal or disturbance of friable ACM, four-day EPA training is mandatory.

Chances of coming in contact with ACM are not insignificant; 733,000 public, commercial, and residential buildings in the U.S. contain asbestos.

Publication date: 01/15/2001