Just like you get old with time, so does your house you live in. To make sure that your house stays strong for a long time, it is suggested that you renovate your house or repair minor problems with the structure on a periodical basis. If you wish to renovate your house, which is more than 20 years old, you need to ask a contractor like Irwin Asbestos Management to check for possible asbestos. It is needless to say that asbestos removal should be done by someone who is experienced enough for the job and has proper training on the topic. Asking any novice to do so may not be a good idea.
Factors to Keep in Mind While Hiring a Contractor to Remove or Test Asbestos
There are several crucial factors to keep in mind when you decide to hire a contractor to test or even remove asbestos from your old house during renovation. Some of these factors have been discussed below for your knowledge.
- The Regulations Concerning Asbestos Vary: It is important for you to know that the federal government does not accredit or license asbestos testers. It is also true that asbestos training and licensing regulations vary from one state and local municipality to another. It will be a good idea to learn a bit about your local laws and also verify whether the contractor you wish to hire has proper licenses and permits for the job.
- OSHA Requirements for Dealing with Asbestos: It is necessary for contractors to be familiar with EPA and OSHA standards for dealing with asbestos and it is your responsibility to find out whether your contractor knows about these standards or not. Even though your state may not require it, you better verify whether the supervisor’s training meets with the EPA Asbestos Model Accreditation Plan, which is needed by OSHA for all types of asbestos removal jobs.
- Safe Asbestos Removal: It is always a good thing to familiarize yourself with some safe asbestos work practices, which may include wearing respirators and masks, closely monitoring the air for any possible release of asbestos fibers and sealing off the area with the help of plastic. It is also your responsibility to ensure that the contractors follow these work practices.
- Hire the Right Asbestos Contractor: Before you decide to hire an asbestos contractor, you need to ask for some references from the professional. It is also required that you double check these references and ask them the type of work practices used by the contractor in the previous projects. Once the work is done, it will not hurt you to seek an independent asbestos test result in order to verify that the work was done the right way and that no asbestos remains inside your house.
Asbestos can prove to be a rather dangerous material for humans. There have been several documents that state the health risks of long-term exposure to asbestos. The asbestos fibers can easily get inhaled and carried to various lower regions of the lungs where these fibers can cause fibrotic lung diseases.
