Abatement Work Practices and Removal Procedures
What to know
Abatement means removing or encapsulating ACM to prevent fiber release. Good practice: wet the material thoroughly with amended water (water plus a surfactant) before and during disturbance, keep it wet, and never dry-sweep or use compressed air. Removal proceeds from the furthest point toward the exit so workers do not cross contaminated areas, and material is lowered, not dropped, into sealed waste bags.
Glove bag operations are used for small pipe and fitting removals; the bag is sealed to the pipe, the material wetted, removed, and the bag collapsed and sealed. For TSI, wrap and cut techniques minimize breakage. Encapsulation (penetrating or bridging sealant) is an alternative to removal where the material is intact and accessible.
Work must be supervised by a competent person with authority to stop work, and workers need training appropriate to the class of work. Clearance follows abatement: visual inspection, then air sampling, before containment is removed.
Traps
Questions test whether you know water is amended, not plain, and that material stays wet throughout. Another trap: removing containment before clearance sampling, or assuming encapsulation is always acceptable on damaged material. Watch for sequencing errors (working toward the exit is correct; working away from it is not).
Rule of thumb
Wet it, wrap it, bag it, and work toward the door: material goes from wet removal to sealed bag without ever going dry or being dropped.