A good asbestos inspector needs more than just good training. He or she also needs equipment--a lot of it.
Instructors at a course sponsored here by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Midwest Asbestos Information Center recommended that students take the following items with them on inspections:
- A ladder and flashlight to enter small, dark places.
- Film canisters to hold asbestos samples taken from the building.
- A plant sprayer, to dampen the area being sampled.
- Plastic drop cloths to drape beneath the area sampled.
- Knives, linoleum cutters, and other tools to extract samples.
- A caulking gun to fill in the holes after the sample is taken.
- Lots of duct tape, to replace4jackets on pipes.
- A camera to photograph the samples as they are being taken.
- A small blackboard or erasable writing surface, to record the date and site of the sample for photographs.
- Diaper wipes for cleanups.
- A clip board.
- A vacuum cleaner with a special filter.
The instructors said it was common for inspectors to work with at least one assistant, and to tote their equipment from room to room on a cart.
In addition to the sampling equipment, inspectors also must be concerned about wearing the correct protective clothing.
The most important item is the mask, according to Gail Brandys, a self-employed asbestos consultant who led a session on the equipment needs for personal safety.
But even a well-fitting mask may not entirely eliminate an inspector’s exposure, Ms. Brandys said. A half-mask fitted with a special filter, which could cost several hundred dollars, still lets in a few small and potentially deadly asbestos fibers.
As an extra precautionary measure, she noted, inspectors and other asbestos workers wear a special paper-thin suit to protect their skin. Despite its appearance, Ms. Brandys said, the suit is very warm, and inspectors should only wear undergarments or a bathing suit beneath it.
Summarizing what might be the asbestos-workers’ code on risk-reduction, she added: “You should really prepare for the worst.”
