Virginia Law

Article 5. Abatement of Risk of Asbestos in State-Owned and Public School Buildings.

As used in this article.

"Asbestos" means any material containing more than one percent of the asbestiform varieties of:

1. chrysotile (serpentine),

2. crocidolite (riebeckite),

3. amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite),

4. anthophyllite,

5. tremolite, or

6. actinolite.

"Director" means the Director of the Department of General Services.

"Friable" means material that is capable of being crumbled, pulverized or reduced to powder by hand pressure or which under normal use or maintenance emits or can be expected to emit asbestos fibers into the air.

"Local education agency" or "LEA" means the same as that term is defined in the United States Environmental Protection Agency Asbestos Hazard and Emergency Response Act regulations set forth in 40 CFR 763.

"Operations and maintenance program" means work practices to maintain asbestos-containing material in good condition and to minimize and control disturbance or damage to such materials.

"Response actions" means any action, including removal, encapsulation, enclosure, repair, method of operation, maintenance, record keeping or notification that protects human health from building materials containing asbestos.

"Secretary" means the Secretary of Administration.

1986, cc. 288, 560, § 2.1-526.12; 1988, c. 723; 1989, c. 398; 1990, c. 50; 2001, c. 844.

The Director at the direction of the Secretary and in cooperation with any other appropriate agencies including but not limited to the Department of Education shall ensure that every building owned by the Commonwealth or any agency of the Commonwealth which has not previously been inspected by competent personnel as provided below is inspected as soon as practical by competent personnel who have the training and equipment necessary to identify (i) the presence of asbestos, and (ii) to the extent practicable the relative hazard or hazards to health and safety posed at each location at which asbestos is identified. Every location at which asbestos is identified shall be clearly marked with suitably designed signs or labels. The Director shall prepare an accurate estimate of the cost of abating the risk of all asbestos so identified. The Director shall also establish a list of abatement priorities, which shall include the estimated cost of abating the risk at each location on the list. To the extent that funds are available, and in accordance with the priorities established by the Director, the agency or institution of the Commonwealth responsible for the maintenance of buildings at any such location shall proceed to abate the risk at such locations.

1985, c. 534, § 2.1-526.13; 1986, cc. 288, 560; 2001, c. 844.

The Director, at the direction of the Secretary and in cooperation with any other appropriate agencies including, but not limited to, the Department of Education shall adopt standards for the inspection of state-owned and local education agency buildings of all types and the ancillary facilities used in connection therewith for the purpose of identifying the presence of asbestos and to the extent practicable the relative hazard to health or safety posed by any asbestos identified. The Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.) shall not apply to the adoption of standards under this section.

A. The standards shall include:

1. Inspection for the presence, location and condition of asbestos-containing materials;

2. Development of a building asbestos profile for each building inspected and found to contain asbestos-containing material, which profile shall:

(a) Include information regarding product type (surfacing material, thermal system insulation, or miscellaneous material), specific location, estimated quantity (in square or linear feet), type and percentage of asbestos content, and physical condition;

(b) Be kept in possession of the person designated pursuant to subsection E, at a location in the building where it is readily accessible to building employees or their designated representatives;

(c) Be updated as surveillance, test results and/or response actions are undertaken in the building.

B. The following standards are established for state-owned buildings:

1. When air monitoring is used for building assessment, it shall be used in conjunction with comprehensive visual assessment techniques for determining the priority and nature of response action.

2. The airborne asbestos reoccupancy level, to be measured upon completion of response actions, shall be equal to the reoccupancy standards established for buildings pursuant to subsection C.

C. The Director, in conjunction with the state Departments of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Health, Labor and Industry, Education, and Environmental Quality, shall adopt standards governing aggressive air sampling after completion of an asbestos project for airborne asbestos for local education agencies and public institutions of higher education.

D. Asbestos management plans for state-owned buildings shall include:

1. Operation and maintenance programs, including procedures for the notification of maintenance and housekeeping personnel of the location of asbestos-containing materials likely to be disturbed during routine building operations; the labeling of asbestos-containing materials in routine maintenance areas; and work practices, engineering controls or personal protective measures to minimize asbestos exposure to such personnel and other building occupants;

2. Training requirements for maintenance workers and maintenance supervisory personnel;

3. Assurance of compliance by contractors with licensing under applicable state laws and regulations; and

4. Provisions for setting priorities of buildings for response actions.

E. Each person responsible for such management plans shall designate one member of the maintenance personnel in or responsible for each building containing asbestos-containing materials to serve as the liaison to coordinate the specific efforts of such program within the particular building to which the liaison is assigned.

1985, c. 534, § 2.1-526.14; 1986, cc. 288, 560; 1988, c. 723; 1993, c. 660; 2001, c. 844.

A. Every public school division in the Commonwealth shall ensure that every school building owned or operated by it, which has not previously been inspected in compliance with this article, is inspected. Inspection shall conform to the standards developed pursuant to § 2.2-1164.

B. The superintendent of schools for each public school division shall certify to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Secretary that the public schools in the division have been inspected in compliance with this article.

C. Inspections completed prior to July 1, 1986, shall be deemed in compliance with this article if the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Secretary determine that they conform substantially to the standards referenced in § 2.2-1164, or to the inspection procedures contained in 40 CFR 763.

1985, c. 534, § 2.1-526.15; 1986, cc. 288, 560; 2001, c. 844.

Each public school division shall ensure that every location at which asbestos is identified following inspections conducted pursuant to subsection A or C of § 2.2-1165 is clearly marked with suitably designed signs or labels. Each division shall prepare an accurate estimate of the cost of abating the risk of asbestos at each location so identified. Each division shall also establish a list of priorities, based upon its determination of the risk to public health and safety posed by asbestos at each such location, which shall include the estimated cost of abating the risk at each location on the list.

1986, cc. 288, 560, § 2.1-526.16; 2001, c. 844.

The Commonwealth and its officers, agents and employees shall be immune from civil liability for actions (i) arising from the establishment and implementation of asbestos inspection standards developed pursuant to § 2.2-1164 and (ii) undertaken pursuant to the provisions of this article, Chapter 5 (§ 54.1-500 et seq.) of Title 54.1, and §§ 22.1-289.052 and 32.1-126.1.

1988, c. 723, § 2.1-526.17:1; 2001, c. 844; 2020, cc. 860, 861.