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BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
DATE: May 21, 2013
TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board
FROM: Don Turner
SUBJECT: Asbestos Policy
DEPARTMENT: Facility Maintenance
BCC DISTRICT: All
STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Request BCC approval of a new county asbestos policy.
BACKGROUND: Until 1984, asbestos was a common ingredient in a wide variety of building
materials. Its unique properties made it an almost ideal component for thermal insulation, sound
proofing, and fire proofing as well as chalk boards, flexible boiler breaching, and cementious
roofing tiles among other uses.
It was later discovered that prolonged and/or intense exposure to airborne asbestos fibers resulted
in some people developing asbestos related diseases. After the link between asbestos and some
rare diseases was made, laws were implemented in every state which spelled out how asbestos
containing materials (ACM) were to be handled to protect people of exposure to airborne fibers.
Left alone, most ACM is perfectly safe. In most cases the asbestos is bound up in a matrix with
other materials that make up a composite. Still, asbestos fibers can be released into the air if the
materials are mishandled or removed improperly.
To go further to protect the occupants in and visitors to county facilities, it's in the best interest of
the county to formalize a policy that spells out what must be done before a county building may
be modified in any way. These modifications may take the form of minor or major remodeling,
roof replacement, major systems replacement, flooring repair or replacement, or any number of
activities which may disturb ACM.
The proposed policy centralizes the clearing point through which all building modification
projects must be filtered to ensure proper procedures are followed with regard to the presence of
ACM every step of the way. Following the policy will go much farther to ensure the safety of
staff, citizens, and visitors who come to any of our county facilities.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Request BCC approval of a new county asbestos policy.
RECOMMENDED BY:
APPROVED BY:
Ernie Padgett, County Administrator