Asbestos Certification (ASB) · Lesson 6 of 6

Finding the ACM: the PACM Presumption, the Building Survey, and Sampling Counts

"Finding the ACM: the PACM Presumption, the Building Survey, and Sampling Counts" is lesson 6 of 6 in the Asbestos Certification (ASB) Learning Hub. It opens with "Owners and Employers Must Identify ACM Before the Work" and works through 5 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. Owners and Employers Must Identify ACM Before the Work
  2. The Survey: Records, Inspection, Samples, Map
  3. Sampling Rules for Surfacing Material
  4. Rebutting the Presumption With Data
  5. Pass the Information On, and Keep Watching What Is Left

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 7 steps, from "Count the core samples for Building A" through "Plan for what is left".

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Finding the ACM: the PACM Presumption, the Building Survey, and Sampling Counts" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Sampling Rules for Surfacing Material".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Rebutting the Presumption With Data".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Pass the Information On, and Keep Watching What Is Left".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Survey Count: 6 Areas x 3 Cores = 18 Samples, 1 QCBUILDING A: 6 AREAS OF SURFACINGArea 13 core samplesArea 23 core samplesArea 33 core samplesArea 43 core samplesArea 53 core samplesArea 63 core samples1 QC sample: side-by-side, second lab3 x 6 = 18 core samplesAsbestos present if over 1% by weight (PLM)HOW MANY QC SAMPLES?Rule: 1 per building or 1 per 20samples, whichever is largerBuilding A: 6 x 3 = 18 samples18 / 20 = 0.9, building minimum is 1QC samples = 1Building B: 20 x 3 = 60 samples60 / 20 = 3, larger than the minimum 1QC samples = 3Sampler wears a respirator (Purple Book 2.2)PACM: TSI and surfacing in buildings built no later than 1980 (1529(b))Unmarked pipe wrap found Monday 9:00 am: tell owner and other employers by Tuesday 9:00 amJob ends May 4: report ACM left and final monitoring by May 14 (10 days)Remaining ACM: O&M program, inspect at least twice a year (Purple Book Ch. 3)Source: 8 CCR 1529(b), (k)(1)-(5), (n)(5); EPA Purple Book (EPA 560/5-85-024) sections 2.2.2.2 and 3.3CC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: Owners and Employers Must Identify ACM Before the Work

Section 1529(k)(2)(A) requires building and facility owners to determine the presence, location and quantity of ACM and PACM before covered work begins, and 1529(k)(3)(A) puts the same duty on employers whose workers will disturb it. Presumed asbestos-containing material (PACM) is thermal system insulation and surfacing material found in buildings constructed no later than 1980 (1529(b)). Employers and owners must treat TSI and sprayed or troweled-on surfacing as asbestos-containing unless they show otherwise, and also asphalt and vinyl flooring installed no later than 1980. Other materials are treated as ACM too if the owner or employer knew, or should have known with due diligence (1529(k)(1)(A)).

Step 2: The Survey: Records, Inspection, Samples, Map

The EPA Purple Book (EPA 560/5-85-024) says an ACM survey has four parts: review building records, inspect materials throughout the building, sample suspect materials for laboratory confirmation, and map the locations of confirmed or suspected ACM (section 2.1). The inspection matters more than the records, because records are often incomplete; when asbestos is in doubt, treat the material as if it contains asbestos (section 2.2). The book sorts ACM into three types: sprayed or troweled-on surfacing, pipe and boiler insulation, and other ACM. Pipe insulation in good condition is not sampled but assumed to contain asbestos, and hard nonfriable materials such as floor tile and wallboard are documented from records and personnel rather than sampled (sections 2.2.3-2.2.4).

The remaining 3 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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