Supervisor Responsibilities and Recordkeeping
What this domain tests
This domain tests what the abatement supervisor must control: notifications, onsite supervision, worker training and medical clearance, containment and work-practice compliance, air monitoring, waste records, posting, and retention. Questions often describe a missing record or a late notification and ask who is responsible.
Core rules and concepts
- The supervisor must be onsite and ensure the project follows the containment, work-practice, PPE, decontamination, and waste requirements. The supervisor has authority to stop work when conditions are unsafe or noncompliant.
- Notifications: NESHAP generally requires notification at least 10 working days before renovation or demolition involving RACM. Hawaii DOH certification and project notification requirements also apply, as do AHERA requirements for school projects. Post required notices at the site.
- Verify worker training certificates, medical surveillance, and respirator fit tests before assignment. Keep training current and remove workers who are not qualified.
- Maintain project records: daily logs, photographs, containment pressure logs, air-monitoring results, calibration records, waste manifests, inspection reports, and clearance documents.
- Retention: OSHA exposure records are kept for 30 years; medical records for the duration of employment plus 30 years. AHERA records are generally kept for at least 3 years. Retain records for the longest applicable period.
- Report incidents, uncontrolled fiber releases, and employee exposures through the required channels, and document corrective actions.
Worked example
A supervisor finds a worker inside containment who has no fit-test record and no medical clearance on file. What should the supervisor do?
Reasoning: stop the worker from performing respirator-required work, remove him from the containment through decontamination, and verify whether a valid fit test and medical clearance exist. If not, he cannot return until both are completed. Document the finding, the stop-work action, and the corrective action. Allowing him to "get tested later" leaves the project and the worker out of compliance.
Traps that cost marks
- Filing notification late or assuming a phone call is enough.
- Supervising remotely or leaving untrained workers alone in containment.
- Missing fit-test, training, or medical records.
- Not keeping daily logs, pressure records, or waste manifests.
- Discarding records before the longest retention period expires.
- Failing to document and correct an uncontrolled release.