An approved asbestos supervisor training course must consist of at least five days of training. This initial training course must include lectures, demonstrations, at least fourteen hours of hands-on training, course review and a written examination. Audio-visual materials, where appropriate, are recommended to complement lectures. The training course must provide, at a minimum, information on the following topics:

1. (1) The physical characteristics of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials including identification of asbestos, aerodynamic characteristics, typical uses, physical appearance, hazard assessment considerations, and a summary of abatement control options.
2. (2) Health effects related to asbestos exposure including the nature of asbestos related diseases, routes of exposure, dose-response relationships and the lack of a safe level of exposure, synergism between asbestos exposure and cigarette smoking, latency period, hazards to the immediate family and the health basis for the standard.

3. (3) Employee personal protective equipment including:

   • 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 (positive and negative pressure checks);

   • Variability between field and laboratory protection factors;

   • Quantitative and qualitative fit test requirements;

   • Factors that alter respirator fit (facial hair, scars, etc.);

   • Components of a proper respirator program;

   • Requirements for oil lubricated reciprocating compressors;

   • Use and maintenance of full facepiece supplied-air respirator systems;

   • Standards for breathing air;

   • Selection and use of personal protective clothing;

   • Use, storage, and handling of nondisposable clothing; and

   • Regulations covering personal protective equipment.

4. (4) 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;

   • Use of glove bags, critical barriers and mini-enclosures;

   • 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 practices requirements for removal, encapsulation, enclosure, repair and waste transportation.

5. (5) Personal hygiene including:

   • Entry and exit procedures for the work area;

   • Use of showers;

   • Prohibition of eating, drinking, smoking, and chewing (gum and tobacco) in the work area; and

   • Potential exposures, such as family exposure.

6. (6) Additional safety hazards that may be encountered during asbestos abatement activities and how to deal with them, 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.

7. (7) Medical monitoring procedures and requirements, including the provisions of chapter 296-842 WAC, any additional recommended procedures and tests, benefits of medical monitoring and recordkeeping requirements.

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

   • Description of equipment;

   • Sampling methods and strategies;

   • Reasons for air monitoring;

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

   • Description of aggressive sampling;

   • Current standards with proposed changes if any;

   • Employee observation and notification;

   • Recordkeeping; and

   • Interpretation of air monitoring results, specifically from analyses performed by polarized light, phase contrast, and electron microscopy.

9. (9) 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) The 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.
10. (10) Actual worksite considerations.
11. (11) Insurance and liability issues including contractor issues, industrial insurance coverage and exclusions, third party liabilities and defenses, private insurance coverage and exclusions, recordkeeping recommended for legal and insurance purposes.
12. (12) Supervisory techniques for asbestos abatement projects including supervisory practices to enforce and reinforce the required work practices and discourage unsafe work practices.
13. (13) Contract specifications including a discussion of the key elements to be included in contract specifications.

14. (14) A minimum of fourteen hours of hands-on training for the following topics. Asbestos containing materials must not be used for hands-on training:

    1. (a) Calibration of air-sampling equipment;
    2. (b) Routine maintenance of air-purifying and air-supplied respirators, including calibration of a carbon monoxide alarm used for air-supplied respirators;
    3. (c) Setup of a negative pressure enclosure unit including calculating the number of negative air machines needed as well as proper placement of the machines within the enclosure; and
    4. (d) Setup of a decontamination area, which consists of an equipment room, shower area and a clean room;
    5. (e) Quantitative and qualitative fit-testing protocols; and
    6. (f) Glove bag techniques.
15. (15) Course review, a review of the key aspects of the training course.
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 their 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, § 296-65-007, 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, § 296-65-007, filed 9/5/17, effective 10/6/17; WSR 07-03-163, § 296-65-007, 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, § 296-65-007, filed 2/16/96, effective 4/1/96. Statutory Authority: Chapter 49.17 RCW. WSR 89-21-018 (Order 89-10), § 296-65-007, filed 10/10/89, effective 11/24/89.]