AHERA Compliance for Schools
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) was implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1987 to help protect children and employees from exposure to asbestos in school buildings. Although the AHERA rule has been in place over 25 year, EPA has found during recent audits that compliance issues remain, particularly in the area of schools maintaining and updating their required Asbestos Management Plan to reflect current reinspection and surveillance information.
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act requires schools to:
- Conduct an initial asbestos building inspection to identify asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM)
- Develop, maintain, and update the Asbestos Management Plan
- Perform three-year reinspections
- Perform periodic (six-month) surveillances
- Provide yearly notification to parent, teacher, and employee organizations
- Designate a contact person to ensure the responsibilities of the school are properly implemented
- Provide custodial staff with asbestos-awareness training
Our Services
Freeman Environmental provides comprehensive AHERA compliance services, including:
Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) Audits: The first step in reaching AHERA compliance is to evaluate your school's existing AMP. During the audit, an accredited asbestos management planner will evaluate the AMP based on EPA AHERA audit guidelines. The findings of the audit are documented in a written report.
Asbestos Management Plans: An up-to-date and AHERA-compliant AMP is key to the success of a school's asbestos program and the protection of school occupants. In many cases, the AMP has not been updated since its implementation over 25 years ago. In these cases, it is recommended a new AMP be developed that reflects the current building conditions.
AHERA Exclusion Inspections: All school facilities, regardless of construction date, must be included in the AMP unless an exclusionary statement is made by a qualified person, such as an accredited asbestos inspector. The exclusionary asbestos inspection, including building material sampling and analysis, is conducted in an attempted to prove the building materials are not asbestos-containing and therefore AHERA does not require future reinspection and surveillance.
Three-Year Reinspection and Periodic Surveillance: AHERA requires a reinspection be conducted once every three years and a periodic surveillance be conducted once every six months by qualified inspectors.
Two-Hour Employee Asbestos Awareness Training: Training of custodial and maintenance workers is one of the keys to a successful operation and maintenance (O&M) program.
Please see our Building Renovation and Demolition Services for additional asbestos consulting services