Asbestos

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Hazard Awareness Recognition Program

Last Updated: 09/17/2018

U-Corrective Action Notification. Accident prevention through proactive action, recognition and communication.

Report of Safe Work Practices: Demonstrates the unconditional dedication toward the protection of person and property.
Report of Safety Concerns: You are encouraged to report any and all unsafe conditions that you observe on campus by using this form. You may make your report anonymously or you can contact the Department of Safety and Risk Management directly at 707-654-1076. The Report of Safety Concerns include but are not limited to; health and safety risks (such as trip and fall hazards or unsafe conduct by employees or students), 

Last Updated: 05/03/2024

The Department of Safety and Risk Management is responsible for assuring a safe workplace at Cal Maritime. While it is true there are some buildings on campus with building materials containing asbestos and lead, these materials do not pose a hazard unless they are disturbed. SRM maintains the Campus Asbestos Program, and works closely with Facilities on sampling records and to assure staff use proper work practices when working with asbestos containing materials.

If you think you have an asbestos or lead disturbance or release, leave the area immediately (evacuate others from the immediate area well), and shut the door. Contact your supervisor and then contact Facilities 707-654-1120 during business hours. If no one is available for a 24 hour response, call University Police at 707-654-1176. Please do not leave a voice message, continue to call until you reach a live person to report the incident. Do not return to the area until permitted by Facilities, the Police and or the Department of Safety and Risk Management.

Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) Annual Notification

Asbestos Awareness

During the 1970's the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Association (OSHA) began regulating the use and management of asbestos. It is required that schools, workplaces, and facilities implement stringent protocols regarding safe and effective methods for handling, removing, and disposing of asbestos containing materials (ACM). The California State University Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime) goal is to protect personnel and students from exposure and comply with all state and federal regulations that pertain to asbestos in the work place. The management of asbestos is of importance and of major concern to the Cal Maritime Safety and Risk Management Department and all departments that work with or around this material on a frequent basis. This flyer provides an overview and an introduction to asbestos management at Cal Maritime.

Purpose

  • Protect employees, students, contractors, and visitors from potential asbestos related health hazards.
  • Prevent any unforeseen accidents during asbestos abatement activities.
  • Allow for appropriate construction, renovation, and demolition project planning.
  • Ensure regulatory compliance with state and federal regulations.
  • Ensure that campus personnel involved with asbestos management are adequately trained, qualified, and appropriately licensed by the State of California.

Do's & Don'ts

  • EHS should be contacted anytime a building occupant comes across any damaged material that they think may contain asbestos (e.g., insulated pipe, floor tiles, dry wall).
  • Do not clean up fallen ceiling tiles or broken floor tiles until it is determined they are not asbestos.
  • All renovation work must be contracted through Facilities & Campus Planning or Enterprise Services.
  • There are State and Federal Regulations that only permit accredited personnel to perform asbestos related activities.
  • Undertaking even the smallest renovation job or dismantling equipment without proper planning or improper equipment may result in exposure to asbestos, lead, or another hazardous material.

What is Asbestos?

  • Naturally occurring asbestos includes fibrous minerals found in certain types of rock formations which includes chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, anthophyllite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, and any of these materials that have been chemically treated and/or altered.
  • Durable, fire and water resistant, chemically and thermally stable material.
  • Material used in many different industrial capacities
  • Found to have negative health effects on humans who have repeated exposure to Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM).

What are the dangers of asbestos exposure to workers?

Health hazards related to asbestos exposure ONLY occur when asbestos containing materials are damaged or disturbed. Disruption causes microscopic fibers of asbestos to become airborne. These fibers are easily inhaled and may lodge in the lungs. Significant health problems associated with asbestos exposure include lung cancer, asbestosis (where asbestos fibers form scar tissue in the lungs, and restrict oxygen flow to the bloodstream), and mesothelioma (cancer of the abdominal cavity).

Non-smokers with asbestos exposure are less likely to contract lung cancer than smokers with no asbestos exposure.

No minimum concentration of asbestos fibers in the air exists that is considered safe for humans to inhale on a continual basis. The risk of developing adverse health effects is dependent on the amount of asbestos inhaled and the duration of exposure (duration is typically measured in years). Symptoms of lung problems do not appear usually until after 20-30 years of exposure to high levels of asbestos fibers (as might be found in an industrial setting).

Are you being exposed to asbestos?

General industry employees may be exposed to asbestos during the manufacture of asbestos-containing products or when performing brake and clutch repairs. In the construction industry, exposure occurs when workers disturb asbestos-containing materials during the renovation or demolition of buildings. Employees in the maritime environment also may be exposed when renovating or demolishing ships constructed with asbestos-containing materials. In addition, custodial workers may be exposed through contact with deteriorating asbestos-containing materials in buildings.

How You Can Become Exposed to Asbestos

Before it was known that inhalation of asbestos fibers causes several deadly diseases including asbestosis, a progressive and often fatal lung disease, and lung and other cancers—asbestos was used in a large number of building materials and other products because of its strength, flame resistance, and insulating properties. Asbestos was used in asbestos-cement pipe and sheeting, floor and roofing felts, dry wall, floor tiles, spray on ceiling coatings, and packing materials. When buildings containing these materials are renovated or torn down, or when the asbestos-containing materials themselves are disturbed, minute asbestos fibers may be released into the air. The fibers are so small that they often cannot be seen with the naked eye; the fact that you can inhale these fibers without knowing it makes asbestos an even more dangerous hazard.

Hazard Description

Key Term: Friable Material. Friable material are materials that can be reduced to powder with hand pressure such as fireproofing, sprayed on acoustic ceiling, pipe and thermal system insulation. All other materials such as floor tiles, ceiling tiles, adhesives, plaster, stucco and sheet rock mudding compounds are considered non-friable. Friable materials are the greatest concern from a health and safety perspective because of their ease of fiber release.  

Per the ACC Environmental Consultants report from 1998,

There are no friable asbestos containing materials found in following buildings: Rizza Auditorium, Faculty Building, Morrow Cover, Mayo Hall, Library, Lower Residence Hall, Technology Center, Steam Plant Simulator,  and the Welding Laboratory.

Asbestos was detected in jacketed friable material in the following buildings:

  • Administration pipe insulation.

  • Engineering Building pipe insulation.  

Asbestos was detected in the non-friable materials in the following buildings:

  • Administration: 12x12" brown marbled floor tile and adhesive. 9x9" brown floor tile and adhesive. Window glazing compound

  • Rizza Auditorium: 12 x 12" light brown floor tile and adhesive

  • Faculty Building: 12 x 12" white with black pattern floor tile and adhesive, gray with black fissured floor tile and adhesive

  • Mayo Hall: roofing tar and felt

  • Steam Simulator Plant: 4"  brown baseboard adhesive.12 x 12" red grout pattern floor tile and adhesive

  • Lower Resident Hall: 4" brown baseboard adhesive, 3" brown baseboard adhesive, beige/brown specks floor tile adhesive

  • Morrow Cove: Painted transite panels.

Hazard Control Methods

Work Controls:

  • Provide Asbestos Awareness Training, so that staff may recognize asbestos containing materials, and contact Safety & Risk Management if needed.

  • Are is surveyed prior to demolition/renovation by a licensed contractor.

  • Work performed by personnel licensed in the State of California.

  • Abatement areas are sealed with polysheeting, to create an envelope inside the room.

  • Warning signs are placed at the entrances.

  • Abatement workers enter/exit through "containment" areas, so that no asbestos leaves the work area.

  • Air is monitored inside and outside the abatement area Entire project has engineering controls to ensure a safe working environment inside and outside the containment.

How can you get more information on safety and health?

OSHA has various publications, standards, technical assistance, and compliance tools to help you, and offers extensive assistance through workplace consultation, voluntary protection programs, grants, strategic partnerships, state plans, training, and education. OSHA's

Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines (Federal Register 54:3904-3916, January 26, 1989) detail elements critical to the development of a successful safety and health management system. This and other information are available on OSHA's website.

 

Training Modules & Resources

Last Updated: 02/28/2018

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