Procedure

1. PURPOSE

The following procedures and training requirements have been adopted by the Pacific Northwest Section of the American Water Works Association for working on asbestos-cement water pipe. These procedures have been shown to be effective in maintaining airborne fiber concentrations to levels below 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of air during work only on asbestos-cement water pipe. Although adherence to these procedures will minimize exposure to asbestos fibers, it remains the responsibility of each utility to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local safety, health, and environmental requirements when working with asbestos-cement pipe.

2. CARBIDE BLADE CUTTING (HAND-OPERATED ONLY)

Blade cutters consist of a frame, adjustable to the circumference of the pipe, and a number of outboard, self-tracking rollers that align one or more carbide-tipped cutting blades. The cutter is rotated around the pipe with the blades cutting a groove into the pipe. As the cutter is rotated, the blades are slowly tightened with screws to cut deeper into the pipe until the pipe is severed.

Equipment required:

* Hand operated carbide blade cutter.

* Water source and means of application sufficient to maintain a continuously wetted cutting area.

* Protective equipment including:

Disposable coveralls

Respiratory protection consisting of 1/2 face respirator equipped with HEPA filters or respirator which provides equivalent or better protection.

Rubber boots

Hard hat

A. Excavate around the asbestos-cement pipe a sufficient distance to assure adequate tool clearance in the area to be cut. Care must be taken to avoid any abrasions to the pipe.

B. Don protective equipment and have sufficient water available before entering the trench to begin cutting operations.

C. In the area to be cut, clean and wash with water the surface of the pipe and attach the cutting equipment around the asbestos-cement pipe.

D. Begin applying water to the area being cut and continue until cutting is complete.

E. Operate the cutting tool in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions until cutting is complete, making sure that water is applied in sufficient quantities to assure that the area being cut is continuously wetted and no asbestos-cement dust is created.

F. Detach cutting equipment, move to new cutting location, and repeat procedure described above. Upon completion of the final cut, thoroughly wash the cutting equipment with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove washed cutting equipment from the trench.

G. Install other pipe and fittings as necessary to complete the job, taking care to avoid any abrasions to the asbestos-cement pipe.

H. When all pipe work is completed, thoroughly wash hands, boots and any small tools with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove disposable protective clothing, HEPA filters and other asbestos contaminated materials, debris or other containers and dispose of them in accordance with local air pollution control agency requirements.

I. Exit ditch in such a manner that no debris will contaminate clothing, boots, tools, etc.

J. Backfill trench.

3. SNAP CUTTING

Snap cutting equipment operates by means of cutting wheels mounted on a chain wrapped around the asbestos-cement pipe. Hydraulic or manually applied pressure simultaneously squeezes the cutting wheels into the pipe wall until the pipe is severed.

Equipment Required:

* Snap cutting equipment

* Water source and means of application sufficient to maintain a continuously wetted cutting area.

* Protective equipment including:

Disposable coveralls

Respiratory protection consisting of 1/2 face respirator equipped with HEPA filters or respirator which provides equivalent or better protection.

Rubber boots

Hard hat

A. Excavate around the asbestos-cement pipe a sufficient distance to assure adequate tool clearance in the area to be cut. Care must be taken to avoid any abrasion to the pipe.

B. Don protective equipment and have sufficient water available before entering the trench to begin cutting operations.

C. Clean and wash with water the surface of the pipe in the area to be cut, and attach the cutting equipment around the asbestoscement pipe.

D. Begin applying water to the area being cut and continue until cutting is complete.

E. Operate the cutting tool in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions until cutting is complete, making sure that water is applied in sufficient quantities to assure that the area being cut is continuously wetted and no asbestos-cement dust is created.

F. Detach cutting equipment, move to new cutting location, and repeat procedure described above. Upon completion of the final cut, thoroughly wash the cutting equipment with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement. debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove washed cutting equipment from the trench.

G. Install other pipe and fittings as necessary to complete the job, taking care to avoid any abrasions to the asbestos-cement pipe.

H. When all pipe work is completed, thoroughly wash hands, boots and any small tools with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove disposable protective clothing, HEPA filters, and other asbestos contaminated materials, debris or other containers and dispose of them in accordance with local air pollution control agency requirements.

I. Exit ditch in such a manner that no asbestos-cement debris will contaminate clothing, boots tools etc.

J. Backfill trench.

4. HAND-SAW CUTTING

Large toothed, cross-cut hand saws used to manually cut small asbestos-cement pipes or to trim larger pipes.

Equipment required:

* Hand Saw

* Water source and means of application sufficient to maintain a continuously wetted cutting area.

* Protective equipment including:

Disposable coveralls

Respiratory protection consisting of 1/2 face respirator equipped with HEPA filters or respirator which provides equivalent or better protection.

Rubber boots

Hard hat

A. Excavate around the asbestos-cement pipe a sufficient distance to assure adequate tool clearance in the area to be cut. Care must be taken to avoid any abrasions to the pipe.

B. Don protective equipment and have sufficient water available before entering the trench to begin cutting operations.

C. Clean and wash with water the surface of them pipe in the area to be cut.

D. Begin applying water to the area being cut and continue until cutting is complete

E. Saw pipe, making sure that water is applied in sufficient quantities to assure that the area being cut is continuously wetted and no asbestos-cement dust is created.

F. Complete cut, move to new cutting location, and repeat procedure described above. Upon completion of the final cut, thoroughly wash the cutting equipment with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove washed cutting equipment from the trench.

G. Install other pipe and fittings as necessary to complete the job, taking care to avoid any abrasions to the asbestos-cement pipe.

H. When all pipe work is completed, thoroughly wash hands, boots, and any small tools with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove disposable protective clothing, HEPA filters and other asbestos contaminated materials, debris or containers and dispose of them in accordance with local air pollution control agency requirements.

I. Exit ditch in such a manner that no asbestos-cement debris will contaminate clothing, boots, tools, etc.

J. Backfill trench.

5. REPAIR BAND INSTALLATION

Repair bands consist of a pliable gasket material held in place by a metal sleeve tightened over a gasket and are used to repair small asbestos-cement pipe leaks.

Equipment Required:

* Repair band and tools necessary for installation.

* Water source and means of application sufficient to thoroughly clean and wet the area of the pipe to be repaired.

* Protective equipment including:

Disposable coveralls

Respiratory protection consisting of 1/2 face respirator equipped with HEPA filters or respirator with provides equivalent or better protection.

Rubber boots

Hard hat

A. Excavate around the asbestos-cement pipe a sufficient distance to assure adequate clearance for installation of the repair band. Care must be taken to avoid and abrasion to the pipe.

B. Don protective equipment and have sufficient water available before entering the trench to install the repair band.

C. Clean and wash with water the surface of the pipe in the area where the repair band will be installed.

D. Install the repair band and tighten bolts, keeping the entire exposed area of the pipe wet in the vicinity of the repair band during the operation.

E. Upon completion of repair installation, thoroughly wash all tools with clean water to remove any asbestos-cement contamination and remove cleaned tools from the trench. Allow wash water to drain to the bottom of the trench.

F. Complete any additional work within the trench, taking care to avoid any abrasions to the asbestos-cement pipe.

G. When all pipe work is completed, thoroughly wash hands, boots and any small tools with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove disposable protective clothing, HEPA filters and other asbestos contaminated materials, debris or other containers and dispose of them in accordance with local air pollution control agency requirements.

H. Exit ditch in such a manner that no asbestos-cement debris will contaminate clothing, boots tools, etc.

I. Backfill trench.

6. WET (HOT) TAPPING

Wet tapping is done with specific equipment which can tap an asbestoscement pipe while it is under pressure. The equipment is designed to tap various sizes of pipe and connect either services or pipe. Normally, the asbestos-cement debris is contained in the tapping equipment until removed by the operator.

Equipment Required:

* Wet tapping machine of appropriate size.

* Water source and means of application sufficient to maintain a continuously wetted cutting area.

* Protective equipment including:

? Disposable coveralls

? Respiratory protection consisting of 1/2 face respirator equipped with HEPA filters or respirator which provides equivalent or better protection.

? Rubber boots

? Hard hat

A. Excavate around the asbestos-cement pipe a sufficient distance to assure adequate clearance in the area being tapped. Care must be taken to avoid any abrasion of the pipe.

B. Don protective equipment and have sufficient water available before entering the trench to begin tapping operations.

C. Clean and wash with water the surface of the pipe in the area to be tapped and attach the tapping equipment around the asbestoscement pipe.

D. Tap pipe, keeping the entire exposed area of the pipe in the vicinity of the tap wet during the operation. Move to new tapping location and repeat procedure described above. Upon completion of the final tap, thoroughly wash the tapping equipment with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove washed tapping equipment from the trench.

E. Install other pipe and fittings as necessary to complete the job, taking care to avoid any abrasions to the asbestos-cement pipe.

F. When all pipe work is completed, thoroughly wash hands, boots, and any small tools with clean water to remove all asbestos-cement debris. Allow wash water to drain into the bottom of the trench. Remove disposable protective clothing, HEPA filters and other asbestos contaminated materials, debris or containers and dispose of them in accordance with local air pollution control agency requirements.

G. Exit ditch in such a manner that no asbestos-cement debris will contaminate clothing, boots, tools etc.

H. Backfill trench.

7. MINIMUM TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

The minimum training requirements outlined below are considered to be essential to ensure that workers fully understand the hazards to asbestos-cement pipe and proper work practice procedures to follow when working with this material. Training consists of classroom and hands-on demonstration time, completed with a knowledge test and certification.

Classroom: Federal, state and local laws, regulations codes and standards (0.5 hrs)

* Health and Safety

* Environmental

* Relationship to asbestos-cement pipework

Classroom: Characteristics of asbestos (0.5 hrs)

* Types of asbestos in asbestos-cement pipe

* Identifying asbestos-cement pipe

* Health hazards of asbestos:

Entry into body

Types of diseases

Classroom: Personal hygiene and prohibited practices (0.25 hrs)

Classroom: Safety standards and precautions (0.5 hrs)

* Excavation safety

* Confined space entry

* Electrical safety

* Traffic control

Hands-On Demonstration: Personal protective equipment and its use (1.75 hrs)

* Selection, use and disposal of protective clothing

* Respirator protection:

Respirator selection and fitting

Respirator operation and maintenance

Hands-On Demonstration: Asbestos-cement pipe work practices (2.5 hrs)

* Site preparation:

Excavation

Warning signs

* Minimizing exposure:

Wet methods

Personal protection

Equipment and personal decontamination

* Standard asbestos-cement pipe work practices:

Carbide blade cutting

Snap cutting

Hand saw cutting

Wet tapping

Repair band installation

Hands-On Demonstration: Removal, containerizing, transporting and disposing of asbestos-cement pipe wastes (0.5 hrs)

Classroom: Recordkeeping (0.25 hrs)

Knowledge Test and Certification (1.25 hrs)

Official copy of signed original.

Official copy of signed original. Procedure SAF-410.2 Page 4 of 7 Asbestos Handling-Asbestos-Cement Pipes Effective: December 1, 2013