Airborne Contaminates

Your Company Name Airborne Contaminate Policy







Airborne Contaminates #1







1.1. Overview

1.2. Purpose

1.3. Methods of Compliance

1.4. Sub-Contractor Compliance

1.5. Exposure Evaluations

1.6. Employee Exposure Assessments









1.1. Overview

It is Your Co. Policy to anticipate, plan for, control, and capture airborne contaminates and

appropriately evaluate the jobsite for effective control of airborne contaminates.





1.2. Purpose

This Policy’s primary purpose is to provide procedures to ensure airborne contaminates are

effectively controlled on the jobsite. This Policy begins with hazard recognition and risk assessment,

and continues with implementing mechanisms for elimination and control. This Policy outlines

procedures which managers can use to determine the need for and method of initiating an objective

exposure evaluation.





1.3. Methods of Compliance

Your Co. recognizes the importance of controlling airborne contaminates on the job site. This

begins during pre-job planning and involves choosing appropriate work practices as well as

incorporating appropriate engineering controls and selection and/or respirator.

Specific Your Co. Policies should be evaluated during project/job planning to assess the potential for

the creation of airborne contaminates. Specific Policies that mandate control procedures for airborne

contaminates include:

 Confined Space

 Flammable and Combustible Liquids

 Hazardous Materials

 Hot work and Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety

 Portable Heaters and Salamanders

 Protecting the Public

 Respiratory Protection



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1.3.1. It is Your Co. policy to provide effective controls for airborne contaminates during

specific work tasks. Effective controls include:

1.3.1.1. Substitution of a toxic product for a less toxic product. Replacing silica sand with

an abrasive slag is an example.

1.3.1.2. Substitution of a procedure which liberates toxic airborne contaminates. Rolling

and brushing a toxic coating instead of spray application is an example.

1.3.1.3. Negative pressure ventilation systems (mechanical ventilation) which collect and

capture the airborne contaminate. The system may also direct contaminated air to

a safe and outside location.

1.3.1.4. Personal protective equipment (respirators)

1.3.1.5. Employee rotation is an administrative control. It is often the least desirable

because the air borne contaminate is still being created and not necessarily

controlled. This control is specifically prohibited for some air contaminates.

1.3.1.6. Your Co. will verify that any “Hazardous Non-Routine Tasks” where exposures

to air-borne contaminates may occur are identified and appropriately exposure

control procedures are communicated. This includes but is not limited to dust,

fumes, gases, mists, and vapors.





1.4. Sub-Contractor Compliance

1.4.1. Your Co. Policy is to verify that its Sub-contractors comply with Your Co. policies and

procedures to minimize the creation of and effectively control airborne contaminates on

the jobsite. In addition to specific Your Co. Policies, the following procedures should be

verified on the jobsite.

1.4.2. Effective measures should be taken to prevent airborne contaminate(s) from occurring,

migrating from the work site into areas occupied by the public or other employees’ work

areas. This includes assuring outlets and paths for air return to the central HVAC system

or public access are sealed with plastic to prevent recirculation of contaminated air.

Where necessary, enclosures will be erected and Your Co. will verify that proper

mechanical exhaust ventilation is in place to remove airborne contaminates from the

enclosure.

1.4.3. Employees are to comply with the following work practices and prohibitions in order to

eliminate, minimize and/or control airborne contaminates. These work practices and

prohibitions are to control dusts, fumes, gases, mists or vapors. Employees are prohibited

from the following:

1.4.4. Disturbing any asbestos (≤1 %) or asbestos containing material (> 1 %). Employees will

be informed during orientation of asbestos on the job site or adjacent to their work areas.

Employees are expected to verify with their immediate supervisor that materials slated

for disturbance (demolition, sawing, drilling breaking) have been evaluated for asbestos.

Supervisors are to verify that “Good Faith” asbestos surveys have adequately addressed

materials slated for disturbance and will provide effective communication to employees.

1.4.5. Disturbing any painted or coated surface where lead based paint or lead bearing material

or cadmium based paint or cadmium bearing material exits. No employee will disturb

any lead bearing material or cadmium bearing material unless the material has been

tested and competent determinations have been made regarding the job tasks.

1.4.6. Conduct indoor welding or cutting of any metal which takes more than one (1) minute

without mechanical ventilation. Indoor hot work taking longer than one minute will be

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undertaken with negative pressure mechanical ventilation drawing the fumes away from

the employee and safety collecting them in dry filtration media or venting these fumes

and gases away from all employees/public. This includes cutting, grinding, welding or

other hot work performed on any painted or coated metal without the utilization of

negative pressure mechanical collection systems

1.4.7. and appropriate Employee Respiratory Protection. The Hot Work Permit will be

consulted for proper engineering control selection.

1.4.8. Mechanical sawing, drilling, routing or other dust creating job task conducted on any

cementitous material with out wetting the operation and using HEPA vacuum collection

and/or negative pressure collection at the point of dust creation.

1.4.9. Dry sweeping on any construction site that occurs for more than one (1) minute

conducted without a sweep-aid (dust suppressant). HEPA vacuuming is always

preferable to dry sweeping. This is not intended to prohibit workers from cleaning up

after themselves.





1.5. Exposure Evaluations



1.5.1. It is Your Co. policy to maintain employee exposures below the Permissible Exposure

Limits (PEL). Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) have been established for most

airborne contaminates on the jobsite. An airborne contaminate may have one or more of

the following exposure limits.

 Eight hour time weighted averages TWA8

 Short term exposure limits (STEL)

 Ceiling or instantaneous limits

1.5.2. The Safety Department will respond to any Your Co. Supervisor’s written or voice

notification of an airborne contaminate problem on a jobsite. When necessary the Safety

Department will arrange for a visit to the jobsite for further evaluation. The Safety

Department may utilize any one or more evaluation techniques. Where necessary the

Safety Department may coordinate an industrial hygiene assessment to accomplish the

employee exposure evaluation.

1.5.3. An Industrial hygiene evaluation of objective data is at times necessary if potentially

significant airborne contaminate exposures exist and/or controls are not effective. An

industrial hygiene evaluation can utilize many methods to objectively evaluate airborne

exposures. These may include:

 Review of manufacturer’s safety data sheets

 Review of work practices and review of engineering controls

 Instantaneous monitoring

 Personal air monitoring (dosimetry) to determine employee exposure(s)

 Area air monitoring

Note: In cases where air monitoring occurs, a determination of fifty (50) percent of a PEL will

be the definition of significant airborne exposure.



1.5.4. Until such time that personal dosimetry can be conducted on those job tasks with the

greatest potential for creating airborne contaminate(s), those job tasks will require the use

of mechanical ventilation and/or respirators.

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1.6. Employee Exposure Assessments



During job tasks outlined in the Air Contaminates Decision Logic Chart (see end of Policy), it may

be necessary to objectively derived, employee exposure assessments. In the event this need arises,

the Safety Department will be notified and direct the exposure assessment.

Objective exposure evaluations may include:

1.6.1. Personal air monitoring or dosimetry, achieved by sampling the air in the employees’

breathing zone. Sampling techniques are sometimes specific to the airborne contaminate.

The sample is typically captured on a filter, adsorped onto or into (media) and then

analyzed by a laboratory technician.



1.6.2. Some employee exposure assessments can be accomplished instantaneously or real time,

such as confined space and enclosed space evaluations of oxygen, (O2), combustible

gases (lower explosive level, LEL), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

1.6.3. Employees may request and are entitled to receive exposure records for job tasks to

which they have been assigned and that have been evaluated.

1.6.4. Supervisors are encouraged to evaluated job tasks for the creation of air borne

contaminates. When work practices are not effective in the control of airborne

contaminates further evaluation is necessary. Employees are instructed to verify that job

tasks controls are in place and operating properly. If the job site conditions continue to

demonstrate poor control of an airborne contaminate the supervisor will be informed.

1.6.5. Supervisors will demonstrate effective control of all airborne contaminates on the job site.

Supervisors are encouraged to request assistance from the Safety Department when

normal control procedures are not effective.

1.6.6. Employees may be informed that air monitoring will occur and that they have the right

and responsibility to participate. The Your Co. process for conducting employee

exposure evaluations (personal dosimetry) is as follows:

1.6.7. The Safety Manager will verify the scope and conditions of the job task prior to initiating

an exposure assessment.

1.6.8. Supervisors and the Safety Department will coordinate when personal air monitoring is

planned.

1.6.9. Manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) will be identified and sent to the lab for

appropriate selection of sampling media.

1.6.10. Supervisors will follow the instructions provide by the analytical lab specific to sample

chain-of-custody, sampling procedures, sampling documentation and sample submission.

1.6.11. Employees will be asked to cooperate in personal exposure evaluations including wearing

sampling media during job tasks.

1.6.12. Sampling results will be communicated to effected employees within five (5) days of

receipt of results. This communication will also involve an evaluation of control

measures and PPE used during the personnel monitoring. Necessary changes will be

communicated at this time.

1.6.13. Exposure data will be used in training, made available to employees and their

representatives and maintained for thirty (30) years past last date of employment.





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AIR CONTAMINATES

DECISION LOGIC CHART





 Identify Construction Tasks which Create Airborne Contaminates



 Identify Appropriate Controls (substitution, engineering controls & respirators)



 Conduct Objective Assessment (Air Monitoring) to Evaluate Effectiveness of Control(s)



 Evaluate Air Monitoring Results and Modify Controls as Necessary







YES Airborne Contaminates are

NO

Effectively Controlled?



Continue to

Are Employees

Evaluate Effective

Control Exposed?





NO







Are other people

exposed





Can Contaminate Control or Protection NO

be Achieved by:

Materials Substitution

Implement Control or Is there

Respiratory Protection YES Environmental

VERIFY COMPLIANCE Process Change

Impact

Engineering Control

NO

Respirators



NO Continue to

Regularly

CONTACT Evaluate

SAFETY DEPARTMENT

for

ASSISTANCE







The following job tasks have reliable and effective air contaminate

engineering control mechanisms:

 Hot Work (Welding, Gas Cutting)

 Abrasive Blasting, Boring, Grinding, Sanding, Sawing, Drilling, Routing

 Flammable and Combustible Liquids/Materials Application

 Internal Combustion Engine Operation, Burning of Combustible Fuels

 Sweeping (Manual/Powered)

 Materials Handling (Powered, Pneumatic, Manual Conveyance)









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