Asbestos schools (AHERA): response actions, O&M, management plans and records practice questions

1. Damaged thermal system insulation ACM is present in a school building. Under 763.90(b), when must the local education agency remove the damaged material rather than repair it?

• A. When repairing it would cost more than removing it
• B. When it is not feasible, due to technological factors, to repair the damage
• C. When students occupy the functional space during the school day
• D. When the damaged area is larger than the undamaged area

2. Damaged friable surfacing ACM is present. Several response actions would protect human health and the environment. Under 763.90(c)(2), what may the local education agency then consider to decide which of them is least burdensome?

• A. Only the recommendation of the abatement contractor
• B. Only the age of the school building
• C. Only the number of complaints from parents
• D. Local circumstances, including occupancy and use patterns within the school building, and its economic concerns

3. Significantly damaged friable miscellaneous ACM is found in a classroom. Under 763.90(d)(1), what must the local education agency do with the functional space?

• A. Immediately isolate the functional space and restrict access, unless isolation is not necessary to protect human health and the environment
• B. Keep the space in use and add it to the next periodic surveillance
• C. Post a warning label and keep normal use until the next reinspection
• D. Close the space only after the State has approved a response action

4. Friable surfacing ACM in a gym has potential for significant damage. Under 763.90(f), what must the local education agency do in addition to implementing an O&M program?

• A. Encapsulate the material within 30 days
• B. Have the material reinspected every month
• C. Institute preventive measures appropriate to eliminate the reasonable likelihood that the ACM or its covering will become significantly damaged, deteriorated, or delaminated
• D. Notify the EPA Regional Office before the next school year

5. A crew has finished enclosing ACBM in a school. Under 763.90(i)(1), who must visually inspect each functional space where the action was conducted?

• A. An inspector from the EPA Regional Office
• B. The laboratory that analyzes the clearance air samples
• C. A person designated by the local education agency
• D. The Agency designated by the Governor

6. A local education agency is having clearance air samples analyzed by phase contrast microscopy (PCM), under circumstances 763.90 permits. Under 763.90(i)(2)(ii), which laboratories must it use for that PCM analysis?

• A. Laboratories enrolled in the American Industrial Hygiene Association Proficiency Analytical Testing Program for PCM
• B. Any laboratory the abatement contractor selects
• C. Laboratories approved by the Agency designated by the Governor
• D. The local health department's laboratory, whatever its enrollment

7. A local education agency will remove contiguous ACBM in one school building at the same time and wants to split it into smaller projects so each can be cleared by PCM under 763.90(i)(5). What does 763.90(i)(6) say?

• A. Each project may be cleared by PCM if a separate contractor does it
• B. Contiguous portions may be split if the projects start on different days of the same week
• C. Splitting is allowed if the EPA Regional Office is told in writing
• D. Contiguous portions of material subject to such action conducted concurrently or at approximately the same time within the same school building shall not be separated to qualify

8. Nonfriable ACBM in a school will be disturbed by planned work so that it is about to become friable. How does 763.91(a) treat this material for the purposes of the O&M section?

• A. It stays nonfriable ACBM until it is actually damaged
• B. It must be treated as friable ACBM
• C. It is treated as suspected ACBM that is not assumed to be ACM
• D. It is excluded from the O&M program

9. Under 763.91(c)(2), who makes a written recommendation to the local education agency on whether additional cleaning is needed?

• A. The accredited management planner
• B. The custodial supervisor
• C. The laboratory that analyzed the bulk samples
• D. The Agency designated by the Governor

10. During an O&M activity disturbing friable ACBM, how does 763.91(d)(1) say entry into the area by persons other than those necessary to perform the project is restricted?

• A. Only by building a full plastic containment around the area
• B. Only by locking the school building
• C. Either by physically isolating the area or by scheduling
• D. By asking the persons to sign a waiver

11. About 5 square feet of friable ACBM falls from a school hallway ceiling, a major fiber release episode. Under 763.91(f)(2)(ii), what must be done with the building's air-handling system?

• A. Leave it running normally until the next periodic surveillance
• B. Increase its airflow to blow the fibers out of the area
• C. Leave it unchanged and clean its filters after the response action
• D. Shut it off or temporarily modify it to prevent the distribution of fibers to other areas in the building

12. A minor fiber release episode has been cleaned up and the debris placed in a sealed, leak-tight container. Under 763.91(f)(1)(iv), what must then be done with the area of damaged ACM?

• A. Leave it unrepaired until the next reinspection
• B. Repair it with materials such as asbestos-free spackling, plaster, cement, or insulation, or seal it with latex paint or an encapsulant, or immediately have the appropriate response action implemented
• C. Cover it with a sign and keep normal use with no repair
• D. Record the episode and take no further action

13. A school plumber never works with ACBM but may work in a building that contains it. Under 763.92(a)(1), does the awareness training requirement cover this plumber?

• A. Yes, the requirement covers staff who may work in a building that contains ACBM, whether or not they are required to work with ACBM
• B. No, it covers only staff who disturb ACBM
• C. No, it covers only custodians, not trades staff
• D. Only if the plumber was hired after the management plan was written

14. Under 763.92(b)(2), what must each person performing periodic surveillance record?

• A. Only the number of rooms entered
• B. Air sample results for each functional space
• C. The date of the surveillance, his or her name, and any changes in the condition of the materials
• D. The names of the students in each room

15. Under 763.93(i), who must sign the statement in each management plan certifying that the general local education agency responsibilities in 763.84 have been met or will be met?

• A. The individual designated by the local education agency under 763.84
• B. The laboratory that analyzed the bulk samples
• C. An official of the EPA Regional Office
• D. The abatement contractor that performed the latest response action

16. A local education agency requires its management plans to contain a signed compliance statement under 763.93(f). What does 763.93(f) say about who signs it?

• A. It must be signed by the principal of each school
• B. It must be signed by an official of the EPA Regional Office
• C. It must be signed by the chair of the school board
• D. It may not be signed by a person who, in addition to preparing or assisting in preparing the plan, also implements (or will implement) it

17. Under 763.93(g)(3), when must a school's management plan be available for inspection, without cost or restriction, to workers?

• A. Only during the summer break
• B. Before work begins in any area of a school building
• C. Within 30 days after the work ends
• D. Only after the Governor has approved the plan

18. A school district keeps the records that 763.94 requires, such as training, periodic surveillance, cleaning and O&M records. Under 763.94(a), where must those records be maintained?

• A. Only at the office of the accredited contractor that did the most recent response action
• B. Only in the administrative office of the school
• C. In a centralized location in the administrative office of both the school and the local education agency, as part of the management plan
• D. At the EPA Regional Office

19. A school is preparing the warning labels it must attach next to ACBM left in place in its boiler room. What does 763.95(c) say about the print on the label?

• A. It must be printed in the school's own colors
• B. It must be handwritten by the person designated under 763.84
• C. It must be the same size as the print in the management plan
• D. It must be readily visible because of large size or bright color

20. Under 763.99(a)(6), an accredited inspector determines that no ACBM is present in a school area where asbestos removal operations were conducted before December 14, 1987. On what must that determination be based?

• A. A letter from the school principal
• B. Inspection records and contractor and clearance records
• C. The original construction bid documents only
• D. Interviews with the custodial staff