The Silent Threat Within: Managing Interior Hazardous Materials for Safer Workplaces

Interior Hazardous Materials Management Inefficient and Healthy Workplace Offices Manage risks of the human need to manage hazardous materials ubiquitously used in past construction practices. This efficient and healthy workplace feature requires techniques to manage exposure risks of dangerous building materials, asbestos, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

What are interior hazardous materials, and why are they a concern in the workplace?

Some materials commonly used in construction due to their mechanical, chemical, or visual properties are toxic and banned or confined to limited production worldwide. However, they are still everywhere and can give us diseases if we come in contact with them.

Asbestos, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-containing materials are emblematic examples. A naturally present, chemically resistant material found in old adhesives, insulation, and sheeting, it is a known toxicant and carcinogen.

How can you identify interior hazardous materials in your office space, and what should you do if you find them?

PCBs were used in caulk and electrical equipment, but their production is banned worldwide due to their persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation in foods, and carcinogenicity. Therefore, existing buildings must be evaluated for the presence of hazardous materials and consider their removal when technically feasible.

If not possible, hazards must be isolated and periodically monitored to prevent human exposure. Generating dust that can become suspended and respirable must be avoided. Any waste generated from the construction or other onsite activity must be handled appropriately following best practices.

Manage Asbestos Hazards:

Asbestos risk assessment and remediation are as follows,

1. Project is an existing building constructed or last renovated before the enactment of laws banning the installation of asbestos-containing materials or is located where there is no local asbestos phase-out regulation.

2. An investigation of the project space is conducted by an inspector certified under local regulations or a qualified professional with demonstrable experience where no local rules apply.

You can determine if asbestos is present through either Polarized Light Microscopy or Transmission Electron Microscopy testing.

Suppose asbestos-containing materials (ACM) were found per the above. Then, an action plan that contains the following is implemented:

• General notifications will be sent to people near the building about any work that will take place.
• Preventative measures against forming and spreading asbestos fibres in the air during remedial work.
• Measures were taken for workers’ protection during remediation activities, including but not limited to skin and respiratory protection.
• If ACM is being removed, activities are carried out for proper handling of ACM waste, including wetting of all removed ACM, care in transportation to prevent crumbling, sealing and leak-tight transportation, adequate labelling, and final disposal in locations allowed by applicable laws and permits.

Manage Lead Paint Hazards:

Identify lead paint hazards. 

The office performs an onsite investigation of the Space to determine the presence of any lead-based hazards in paint, dust, and soil.

The analysis must be performed by a certified inspector or a qualified professional identifying potential places where lead-containing paint may be present, along with the possible sources and sinks of lead contamination.

If lead is found in the investigation, a certified inspector (or a qualified professional where no local regulations apply) implements an action plan that contains the following:

• Notify all occupants and transient populations in the surrounding spaces about the remediation work and restrict access to the work areas during the remediation.
• If paints are mechanically removed, measures are taken to minimize the formation & spread of dust during the remediation process and to ensure adequate respiratory and skin protection for workers.
• A re-inspection schedule includes visual assessments and dust testing if any lead-containing paints are left in place and are subject to stabilization.

Manage PCB Hazards:

The project demonstrates through legal documentation that remediation and clearance have been performed. Manage Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Hazards PCB remediation.

An inspection strategy for assessing PCB-related risks is implemented and contains the following:

• Determination of locations where materials potentially contain you may be disturbed.
• If the caulk is to be disturbed or removed, an analysis of the presumably PCB-containing material should follow protocols mandated by local laws or, in the absence of local laws, by any applicable US EPA or ISO testing methods.

If PCBs are found in disturbed materials, an action plan is implemented and contains the following:

• Notify relevant authorities and building occupants of remedial work that needs to be carried out.
• Protective measures for workers include chemical-resistant gloves, clothing protection, goggles, and respirators.
• Waste handling with the spread of contaminated debris and safe disposal of PCB-containing waste in locations allowed by applicable local regulations.

Conclusion:

Healthy workplace offices must consider the management of interior hazardous materials when making procurement decisions. This can be achieved by working with an architect or environmental manager to develop an action plan that meets local regulations, inspections, and testing. This plan should include measures to prevent dust formation, ensure adequate respiratory and skin protection for workers, and contain provisions for waste handling and disposal.

About the author: Somanyu is an Architect at Designous Build Solutions. He is based in New Delhi (HQ- Mumbai), India, and is instrumental in helping corporations and companies to have Efficient, User/Employee focused, Attractive and Future Ready Workspaces.