O&M Programs and Operations and Maintenance Plans
An O&M program is the set of procedures that keeps ACM in good condition and prevents fiber release during routine building work. Core elements: written O&M plan; training for custodial and maintenance staff (awareness training for those who may contact ACM, more detailed training for those who disturb it); work practices (wet methods, HEPA vacuums, glove bags, restricted access, proper cleanup); notification to workers and occupants; recordkeeping of work performed; and periodic surveillance of ACM condition.
Know the distinction between small-scale, short-duration O&M tasks and larger projects that trigger different requirements. Minor repairs and small disturbances can be handled under O&M; larger jobs require more formal controls. Traps: questions often test whether O&M staff may perform removal - O&M is for maintenance, not abatement beyond small-scale work. Another trap is forgetting wet methods and HEPA requirements, or treating awareness training as sufficient for workers who will disturb ACM. Also watch for the requirement that O&M work be documented and that ACM condition be monitored so deterioration is caught early.
Rule of thumb: O&M is preventive, not remedial - if the task will disturb more than a trivial amount of ACM, it is a project, not O&M. Worked example: a custodian replacing a light fixture near intact ACM ceiling tile uses wet methods, avoids disturbing the tile, and records the task; if the tile must be cut, that exceeds O&M and requires project-level controls.