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Okaloosa County BOCC — 2013 meeting #1140 (date undetermined) — Action Item Printout — reading text
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BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
DATE: July 2, 2013
TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board
FROM: Don Turner
SUBJECT: Facilities Policy - 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 a myriad of other building materials.
It was later discovered that prolonged and/or intense exposure to airborne asbestos fibers could
result in the development of asbestos related diseases. After the link between asbestos and some
rare diseases was made, laws were implemented which spelled out how asbestos containing
materials (ACM) were to be handled to protect people from exposure to airborne fibers. Left
alone, most ACM are perfectly safe. In most cases, asbestos is bound up tightly in a composite
of materials that make releasing asbestos fibers difficult. Still, asbestos fibers can be released
into the air if the materials are mishandled or removed improperly.
To go further to protect the public and staff in 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 creates a clearing point through which all building modification projects
must be filtered to ensure that asbestos containing materials are identified and handled according
to the prevailing regulations. 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