An approved asbestos worker training course must consist of four days of training with a minimum of thirty-two hours. This initial training course must provide, at a minimum, information on the following topics:

1. (1) The physical characteristics of asbestos including types, fiber size, aerodynamic characteristics and physical appearance.
2. (2) Examples of different types of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials. Real asbestos can only be used for observation by trainees and must be enclosed in sealed unbreakable containers.
3. (3) The health hazards of asbestos including the nature of asbestos related diseases, routes of exposure, dose-response relationships, synergism between cigarette smoking and asbestos exposure, latency period of diseases, hazards to immediate family, and the health basis for asbestos standards.

4. (4) Employee personal protective equipment to include:

   • Classes and characteristics of respirator types;

   • Limitations of respirators;

   • Proper selection, inspection, donning, use, maintenance and storage procedures;

   • Methods for field checking of the facepiece-to-face seal;

   • Variability between field and laboratory protection factors;

   • Factors that alter respirator fit (e.g., eye glasses and facial hair);

   • Components of a proper respiratory protection program;

   • Respirator program administrator;

   • Qualitative or quantitative respirator fit testing procedures, which must be performed on at least one student for demonstration purposes and in accordance with WAC 296-62-07715 and 296-842-15005.

5. (5) Use, storage and handling of launderable clothing, nonslip footwear, gloves, eye protection and hard hats.
6. (6) Medical monitoring procedures and requirements, including the provisions of chapter 296-842 WAC, any additional recommended procedures and tests, benefits of medical monitoring and employee access to records.

7. (7) Air monitoring procedures and requirements specified in WAC 296-62-07709, including:

   • A description of equipment;

   • Sampling methods and strategies;

   • Reasons for air monitoring;

   • Types of samples, including area, personal and clearance samples;

   • Current standards with proposed changes if any;

   • Employee observation and notification;

   • Recordkeeping and employee access to records;

   • Interpretation of air monitoring results; and

   • Analytical methods for bulk and air samples.

8. (8) State-of-the-art work practices for asbestos removal and encapsulation activities including:

   • Purpose, proper construction and maintenance of barriers and decontamination enclosure systems;

   • Posting of warning signs;

   • Electrical and ventilation system lock-out;

   • Proper working techniques and tools with vacuum attachments for minimizing fiber release;

   • Use of wet methods and surfactants;

   • Use of negative-pressure ventilation equipment for minimizing employee exposure to asbestos fibers and contamination prevention;

   • Scoring and breaking techniques for rigid asbestos products;

   • Glove bag techniques;

   • Recommended and prohibited work practices;

   • Potential exposure situations;

   • Emergency procedures for sudden releases;

   • Use of HEPA vacuums and proper clean-up and disposal procedures;

   • Appropriate work practices for both indoor and outdoor asbestos projects; and

   • Individually discuss work practice requirements for removal, encapsulation, enclosure, repair, and waste transportation.

9. (9) Personal hygiene including entry and exit procedures for the work area, use of showers and prohibition of eating, drinking, smoking and chewing (gum or tobacco) in the work area. Potential exposures, such as family exposure must also be included.

10. (10) Additional safety hazards that may be encountered during asbestos removal and encapsulation activities and hazard abatement, including:

    • Air contaminants, other than asbestos, such as silica and carbon monoxide;

    • Electrical hazards;

    • Scaffold and ladder hazards;

    • Slips, trips and falls;

    • Fire and explosion hazards;

    • Confined spaces;

    • Noise; and

    • Heat stress.

11. (11) The requirements, procedures and standards established by:

    1. (a) The Environmental Protection Agency, 40 C.F.R. Part 61, Subparts A and M, and 40 C.F.R. Part 763.
    2. (b) Washington state department of ecology.
    3. (c) Local air pollution control agencies.
    4. (d) Washington state department of labor and industries, division of occupational safety and health, chapter 49.17 RCW (Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act), chapter 49.26 RCW (Health and safety—Asbestos), and ensuing regulations.
12. (12) Actual worksite considerations.

13. (13) The instruction required by this section must include, at a minimum fourteen hours of hands-on training for the following:

    1. (a) Glove bag techniques;
    2. (b) The opportunity to don and doff respirators including half facepiece and full facepiece air purifying respirators, powered air purifying respirators (PAPR), and full facepiece supplied-air respirators;
    3. (c) Removal of sprayed-on or troweled-on material, and pipe lagging;
    4. (d) Basic construction of a negative pressure enclosure decontamination unit, and proper entry and exit;
    5. (e) Suit-up in protective clothing consisting of coveralls, foot coverings and head coverings.
14. (14) Course review of the key aspects of the training course.
15. (15) Asbestos-containing materials must not be used for hands-on training.
16. (16) In recognition that asbestos abatement is an evolving industry, the department reserves the right to require additional subjects to be taught and to specify the amount of time which must be allotted to adequately cover required subjects. To ensure adequate coverage of required material, each sponsor must be provided and required to incorporate into the training course, a detailed outline of subject matter developed by the department.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060, and chapter 49.26 RCW. WSR 20-03-153, § 296-65-005, filed 1/21/20, effective 3/2/20. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 17-18-075, § 296-65-005, filed 9/5/17, effective 10/6/17; WSR 07-03-163, § 296-65-005, filed 1/24/07, effective 4/1/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.040, [49.17.]050 and [49.17.]060. WSR 96-05-056, § 296-65-005, filed 2/16/96, effective 4/1/96. Statutory Authority: Chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 89-21-018 (Order 89-10), § 296-65-005, filed 10/10/89, effective 11/24/89; WSR 87-24-051 (Order 87-24), § 296-65-005, filed 11/30/87. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.050(2) and 49.17.040. WSR 87-10-008 (Order 87-06), § 296-65-005, filed 4/27/87. Statutory Authority: SSB 4209, 1985 c 387. WSR 85-21-080 (Order 85-30), § 296-65-005, filed 10/22/85.]