Asbestos Sampling
Asbestos surveys for renovation, demolition, and acquisition.
SAGE samples and surveys asbestos-containing materials to AHERA, OSHA, and Idaho DEQ expectations. Brenda has run asbestos sampling work alongside Phase I ESAs across the Intermountain West for two decades.
Overview
What it is.
An asbestos sampling survey is a systematic inspection of a building for asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). SAGE samples suspect materials, ships them to a licensed laboratory for polarized light microscopy analysis, and packages the results into a survey report a contractor or regulator can act on.
This is sampling work, not testing. We sample. The lab tests. The deliverable answers the question of which building materials contain asbestos and at what concentration.
At a glance
Standards, method, turnaround, coverage.
- Demolition trigger
- NESHAP
- Lab method
- PLM
- Typical turnaround
- 2–3 wks
- States of coverage
- 4
Standards: AHERA, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1001, NESHAP, Idaho DEQ asbestos rules. Coverage: Idaho, Northern Utah, Eastern Oregon, Western Montana.
Deliverables
What you receive.
Five artifacts in one survey packet, each tied back to AHERA inspection protocol and licensed-lab analysis.
AHERA-format inspection
Building inspection covering accessible suspect materials, photographed and logged.
Bulk sample collection
Floor tiles, mastics, joint compound, ceiling textures, pipe insulation, roofing materials, and other suspect components per AHERA protocol.
PLM lab analysis
Polarized Light Microscopy on bulk samples at a licensed asbestos laboratory. Point-counting when quantitation is required.
Survey report
Sample locations mapped, results tabulated, and management recommendations included.
O&M plan when needed
Operations and Maintenance plan delivered when the building has friable ACMs that will remain in place.
When you need a survey
Four scenarios where an asbestos survey earns its place in the diligence packet.
Pre-renovation
Before any renovation that will disturb building materials in a structure built before 1990.
Pre-demolition
Required by federal NESHAP regulations for any commercial demolition regardless of building age.
Acquisition due diligence
Layered with a Phase I when the building is pre-1990 and renovation or demolition is anticipated.
Operations and maintenance
Building owners managing ACMs in place who need a current O&M plan documented.
Process snapshot
Walk the building. Sample to AHERA. Ship to lab. Deliver the survey.
SAGE schedules a site visit to walk the building and identify suspect materials. We collect the bulk samples per AHERA protocol, ship them under chain of custody to a licensed lab, and integrate the results into a survey report. Most surveys deliver in two to three weeks from sampling, lab queue dependent.
Pre-1990 building under contract or up for renovation?
Send the address and the planned scope. We’ll come back with sampling scope and timeline inside one business day.