15 RCNY § 1-81 General Work Place Preparation Requirements.
§ 1-81 General Work Place Preparation Requirements.
The following procedures shall be followed during the conduct of abatement activities on asbestos projects. The procedures set forth in this subdivision shall be performed in the order set forth below:
(a) The building owner or designated representative must provide notification to all occupants of the work place and immediate adjacent areas of the asbestos project. Information provided in the notification must include contractor, project location and size, amount and type of ACM, abatement procedure, dates of expected occurrence and the Call Center "311" for government information and services. Postings of this notification must be in English and Spanish, at eye level, in a conspicuous, well-lit place, at the entrances to the work place and immediate adjacent areas. The notice must have the following heading: NOTICE OF ASBESTOS ABATEMENT, in a minimum of one inch sans serif, gothic or block style lettering, with the balance of the lettering of the notice to be of the same type lettering in a minimum of one quarter inch size. The notices must be posted 7 calendar days prior to the start of the project and must remain posted until clearance air monitoring is satisfactorily concluded. A lessee initiating an asbestos project must give 10 calendar days notice to the owner of the subject building.
(b) A floor plan showing the areas of the building under abatement and the location of all fire exits in said areas shall be prominently posted in the building lobby or comparable location, along with a notice stating the location within the building of the negative air cutoff switch required under 15 RCNY § 1-91(f), if applicable.
(c) The work place shall be vacated by the occupants prior to work place preparation and until successful clearance air monitoring.
(d) Electric power to all work areas shall be shut down and locked out except for electrical equipment that must remain in service. Safe temporary power and lighting shall be provided in accordance with all applicable codes. Existing light sources (e.g. house lights) shall not be utilized. All power to work areas shall be brought in from outside the area through ground-fault circuit interrupter at the source.
(1) If electrical circuits, machinery, and other electrical systems in or passing though the work area must stay in operation due to health and safety requirements, the following precautions must be taken:
(i) All unprotected cables, except low-voltage (less than 24 volts) communication and control system cables, panel boxes of cables and joints in live conduit that run through the work area shall be covered with three (3) independent layers of six (6) mil fire retardant polyethylene. Each layer shall be individually duct taped and sealed. All three (3) layers of polyethylene sheeting shall be left in place until satisfactory clearance air sampling results have been obtained.
(ii) Any energized circuits remaining in the work area shall be posted with a minimum two (2) inch high lettering warning sign which reads: DANGER LIVE ELECTRICAL – KEEP CLEAR. A sign shall be placed on all live covered barriers at a maximum of ten (10) foot intervals. These signs shall be posted in sufficient numbers to warn all persons authorized to enter the work area of the existence of the energized circuits.
(e) The worker decontamination enclosure system shall be installed or constructed prior to plasticizing the work area or before disturbing ACM.
(f) (1) Prior to erection of partitions, ACM that may be disturbed during this activity must be removed using a tent procedure (including engineering controls) using wet methods.
(2) Removal by the above procedures shall be limited to a maximum of a one foot wide strip running the length and/or height of the partition and is allowed only to facilitate erection of the partitions.
(g) All boilers and other equipment within the work area shall be shut down, locked out, and tagged out and the burner/boiler/equipment accesses and openings shall be sealed in accordance with 15 RCNY § 1-81(n) until abatement activities are complete. If the boiler or other exhausted equipment will be subject to abatement, all breeching, stacks, columns, flues, shafts, and double-walled enclosures serving as exhausts or vents shall be segregated from the affected boiler or equipment and sealed airtight to eliminate potential chimney effects within the work area. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System Isolation methods are listed below in order of preference; the more complex and potentially problematic methods maybe used when the more preferred procedures are impractical.
(1) shut down and lock out HVAC systems and install isolation barriers (see 15 RCNY § 1-81(n)) to prevent contamination and fiber dispersal to other areas of the structure, or
(2) isolate locally and provide temporary HVAC, or
(3) positive pressurization of the HVAC system. This procedure shall be applied only under the direction and control of a professional engineer, or other knowledgeable licensed professional.
(h) Abatement shall not commence until work place preparation has been completed.
(i) Movable objects within the proposed work areas shall be pre-cleaned (i.e., prior to commencing general abatement) using HEPA filtered vacuum equipment and/or wet cleaning methods and such objects shall be removed from the work area. If carpeting is left in place, it shall be covered with fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting, and then 3/8 in. rigid flooring prior to normal plasticizing.
(j) All flammable materials shall be removed from the work area and all sources of ignition (including but not limited to pilot lights) shall be extinguished.
(k) Fixed objects which will remain within the proposed work areas must be pre-cleaned using HEPA filtered vacuum equipment and/or wet cleaning methods as appropriate, and enclosed with two layers of fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting sealed to protect from re-contamination. Sprinklers, standpipes, and other fire protection systems must remain in service and must not be plasticized.
(l) Any source of emergency lighting which is temporarily blocked as a result of work place preparation shall be replaced for the duration of the project by battery operated or temporary exit signs, exit lights, or exit path markings.
(m) Prior to plasticizing, the proposed work areas shall be pre-cleaned using HEPA filtered vacuum equipment and/or wet cleaning methods. Methods that raise dust, such as sweeping or vacuuming with equipment not equipped with HEPA filters, are prohibited.
(n) The isolation barriers (i.e., sealing off of all openings, including but not limited to windows, corridors, doorways, barriers, skylights, ducts, grills, diffusers, and any other penetrations of the work place) shall be installed with two layers of fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting sealed with tape. All seams of HVAC or other system components that pass through the work place shall also be sealed.
(o) The work area shall be segregated from the remainder of the work site by construction of temporary structural partitions as follows:
(1) Partitions shall be constructed of conventional 2 x 3 (minimum) wood or metal stud framing, 16"CC maximum, to support barriers in all openings larger than 32 ft2, except where any one dimension is 1 foot or less, or where openings are exits covered in subdivision (p) below.
(2) A solid construction material (e.g. fire rated plywood) of at least 3/8" thickness shall be applied to the work side of the framing. In secure interior areas where partitions are not subject to access from the public, an additional layer of fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting may be substituted for the solid construction material.
(3) The partitions shall be caulked/sealed at the floor, ceiling, walls, joints and fixtures to form an airtight seal.
(4) Where the opening is an exit covered in subdivision (s) below, or where the partition would block egress, the partition shall consist of two sheets of fire-retardant 6-mil plastic, prominently marked as an exit with signage so as to be visible both in normal light and in the event of a power failure. Cutting tools (e.g., knife, razor) shall be attached to the work area side of the sheeting for use in the event that the barrier must be cut open to allow egress.
(5) Means of egress shall not be obstructed by hardwall barriers.
(p) In addition to the isolation barriers, floor and wall surfaces shall be sealed with a minimum of two layers of fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting, except where the only ACM being abated in the project is vinyl asbestos floor tile or other flooring material, in which case the floor need not be sealed; or the only material being abated in the project is wall plaster or other wall material, in which case the walls need not be sealed. The plastic layers on the floor shall extend 6 inches up the walls. Walls shall be covered with plastic sheeting down to the floor level, thus overlapping the floor material by a minimum of 6 inches. There shall be a distance of at least 6 inches between seams of adjacent layers.
(q) After isolation barriers are in place, ceiling-mounted objects not previously sealed that will interfere with ACM abatement shall be removed and cleaned. Amended water spraying or HEPA filtered vacuum equipment shall be used during fixture removal to reduce fiber dispersal.
(r) Suspended ceiling tiles and T-grid components, contaminated by ACM, shall remain in place until the work area has been fully prepared as outlined in this section and electrical and HVAC systems have been shutdown. Suspended ceiling components shall be removed and disposed of as asbestos-containing waste or, if non-porous, retained for reuse after wet cleaning / HEPA vacuuming. Isolation barriers shall be installed in all openings above the ceiling before disturbance of ACM commences.
(s) Entrances to the work place that will not be used for worker entry or emergency exits shall be locked to prevent unauthorized entry.
(t) Exits from the work area shall be maintained, or alternative exits shall be established, in accordance with section 1027 of the New York City Fire Code. Exits shall be checked at the beginning and end of each work shift against blockage or impediments to exiting.
(u) Signs clearly indicating the direction of exits shall be maintained and prominently displayed within the work area. The signs shall bear a horizontal arrow or arrows indicating the direction to the exit, above which the word "EXIT" shall be printed in minimum 5" letter size.
(v) No smoking signs shall be maintained and prominently displayed within the work place. The signs shall be a minimum of 10 by 14 inches and shall bear the International "No Smoking" symbol, under which the words "NO SMOKING" shall be printed in minimum 2" letter size.
(w) Floor drains shall be sealed individually with two layers of fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting and tape, and then covered as all other floor surfaces. Pits, sumps, etc., shall be covered with adequate fire rated plywood sheeting and secured to floor slabs in a manner which prevents a tripping hazard, prior to required plasticizing.
(x) Elevators running through the work area must conform to the following:
(1) The elevator door in the work area must be enclosed with conventional 2 x 4 stud framing, covered with 3/8" fire rated plywood sheeting and sealed at all edges and seams. The barrier must be covered and lapped for 8 inches with two layers of fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting adhered individually with edges taped for air tightness. There shall be no more than a six inch clearance between the elevator door and hard wall barrier.
(2) Elevators not remaining in service shall have the fuses removed and the power switch locked in the open position.
(3) Elevators that remain in operation shall conform to the following additional procedures to minimize the piston effect that results:
(i) Elevator control shall be modified to bypass the work area.
(ii) A final larger layer of fire retardant 6-mil plastic sheeting is to be taped airtight but with slack forming a larger perimeter diaphragm. Air leakage across the barrier shall be corrected upon discovery, and the elevator shaft shall be checked for airborne asbestos contamination.
(iii) This system shall be smoke tested daily.
(4) Elevator shafts shall not be used as waste chutes or to convey any ACM.
(5) Signage must be posted in the main lobby stating the specific floors where the elevators are out of service due to abatement.
(y) Adequate toilet facilities must be provided in the vicinity of the clean room external to the work place. Where such facilities do not exist, portable service must be provided.
(z) At least one functional fire extinguisher with a minimum rating 2-A:10-B:C shall be required for each work place. In the case of large asbestos projects, at least two such fire extinguishers shall be required.
(Amended City Record 12/7/2018, eff. 1/6/2019; amended City Record 8/21/2019, eff. 9/20/2019; amended City Record 1/15/2025, eff. 2/14/2025)