Homeowner's Corner

Hiring an asbestos abatement company is the safest, easiest method of removing asbestos from your house. Abatement companies are equipped with both the experience of working with asbestos and with specialized tools and materials. Onixx Environmental is here just to do that for you.

Here are some important first steps to take before you begin to look for an Environmental Contractor

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GENERAL INFORMATION

HOW DO I IDENTIFY ASBESTOS

Hire an Asbestos Inspector for a survey (testing). They will then send the samples to an approved laboratory to determine the type of asbestos and the quantity of asbestos in the materials they tested.
Hire a monitoring firm if the turns out to be a small-size or a large-size project, not for a minor-size project.
Hire an asbestos abatement company such as us!

HOW DO I KNOW MY PROJECT "SIZE" ?

NYS Code Rule 56 also regulates asbestos. New York State divides projects into sizes, based on linear and or, square footage of ACM (Asbestos Containing Materials). Depending on the total amount of asbestos to be removed it also gets divide into either a MINOR, SMALL, a LARGE sized project. For example in New York State:

A minor job is 0-10 square feet or 0-25 linear feet
A small job is between 10-160 square feet or 25-260 linear feet
A large job is anything greater than 160 square feet or anything greater than 260 linear feet

WHY IS A PROJECT SIZE IMPORTANT ?

NYS requires a notification to the D.O.L (Department of Labor) for any LARGE asbestos project. Typically minor or small projects do not require one. Any large size project must be notified no less than 10 DAYS calendar-days before the start of a project unless, it’s an emergency project.

Renovation or demolition that disturbs amounts of Asbestos Containing Materials greater than 160 square-feet or greater than 260 linear feet, may also require notification to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

BESIDES KNOWING AMOUNTS OF ASBESTOS WHAT ELSE DOES PROJECT SIZE DO?

Based on a project's reported size, appropriate State and Federal agency notifications are made,
Air monitoring may be required for all or partial times of the project.
The degree of containment utilized by the contractor
Air Sampling and Monitoring

Air & Project monitoring

MONITORING COMPANY REQUIREMENTS

Once a survey has been done the monitoring company has to;

If the project is a LARGE sized project-Greater 160 sq/ft or greater than 160 sq/ft or greater than 260 ln/ft

Run background air samples
Work in progress (WIP) this means high volume air pumps are run outside the project area.
Do a visual inspection after an area has been abated and cleaned by NYS code rule 56
Run aggressive air samples and send them to a laboratory, for a satisfactory result the air quality must be 0.01 F/CC.
Final report if owner request it which is highly recommended.

If the project is a SMALL sized project-Greater than 10 sq/ft but less than 160 sq/ft or greater than 25 Ln/ft but less than 260 ln/ft

Run background air samples
Do a visual inspection after an area has been abated and cleaned by NYS code rule 56
Run aggressive air samples and send them to a laboratory, for a satisfactory result the air quality must be 0.01 F/CC.
Final report if owner request it which is highly recommended.

If the project is a Minor sized project- 10sq/ft or less or 25 ln/ft (Linear Feet) or less

Air monitoring firm not required unless is a school (K-12)

Did you know

That over %16 of homes still around today may contain asbestos product installed during their original construction in the 1940-1980's