Asbestos/Lead-based Paint
Converse provides professional services in the asbestos field, ranging from initial surveys with identification of asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) to final clearance after an abatement effort. Our goal is to help you identify problems and to provide you with management solutions to protect the value of your property.
State and local laws require owners to disclose the presence of ACM's to facility occupants and to decrease exposure risks. These requirements are complicated by toxic tort law and potential liability and financial exposure. Although asbestos must be abated in certain circumstances, simple protective measures and an operation & maintenance (O&M) plan can provide the solution. ConverseÕs monitoring and management services are designed to provide our clients with the assurance that the asbestos removal is performed in compliance with the federal and state statutes and in a manner that will not expose others in the work place.
Converse monitors asbestos projects for compliance with federal regulations, and applicable state and local statutes. To demonstrate compliance, our asbestos personnel have earned and maintained levels of certified Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) training appropriate to their assigned task and are required to observe specific health and safety programs applicable to their technical area.
AHERA classes completed by our Staff include Asbestos Building Inspector, Contractor Supervisor, Management Planner and Project Designer. Specific to California, team members are Certified Asbestos Consultants and Certified Site Surveillance Technicians with the California Department of Occupational Safety and Health.
Services Provided by the Converse Team
Converse's trained and certified professionals provide asbestos inspections, sampling, abatement plans and specifications, abatement monitoring/oversight, air monitoring, and operation and maintenance plans.
- Inspections/Surveys - A Converse professional inspector scrutinizes accessible areas, notes the occurrences of suspected ACMs, and incorporates the notes into a sampling plan.
- Sampling - Samples are taken using the sampling plan developed in the inspection/survey, the sampling holes sealed as applicable, and the sites marked both on the material and on the facility drawings. Manifests and chain-of-custody forms are prepared and the samples are sent to analytical services laboratory.
- Analyses-Bulk/Air - Using polarizing light microscopy (PLM) for bulk samples, the presence, type and quantity of asbestos in the sample are determined. Samples collected to evaluate the airborne fiber concentrations are analyzed by phase contact microscopy (PCM). A report describing the analytical results and their significance is provided to the client. PCM samples are often analyzed on-site by NIOSH 582 certified site monitors.
