Asbestos removal

Restoration: Asbestos Removal

updated: 03/07/2008

Asbestos abatement or removal is the first major step in the restoration process.

Literally everything depends upon this being completed and everything has been supporting this process.

At $28,375, it is 38% of our money raised to date and 12% of our total budget.

No hole can be drilled into any surface that has asbestos underneath. Holes can't even be patched. If any asbestos has fallen out, one can't even work around it.

I've had many people argue that asbestos is not a health risk. It does not matter. What matters is that Federal and State laws govern what we do. The train is sitting in the middle of a city park, right next to a kid's amusement park.

Since the City of Duncan owns the park, the locomotive and the asbestos, they let the bids for this abatement job. Every city in the U.S. deals with asbestos and asbestos abatement companies as a normal part of running a city. We, Save the 905, Inc., are paying the $28,375 to have the work done.

The abatement process began about 10 AM, Valentines Day, February 14, 2008.

We will step our readers through the process. Time to complete the job was six weeks. It's a considerable job.

First the entire locomotive had to be enclosed with a framework. There is some asbestos around pipes on the tender, but they were processed using the glove-bag technique.

The inside of the framework was covered with one layer of 6 mil plastic. All seams were sealed with a type of duct tape. All seams had to be air tight. This plastic will cover the ground and top also.

Then a second layer of 6 mil plastic was put on the inside over the first layer and sealed.

Outside of the frame was a layer reinforced plastic.

Large exhaust fans pulling air through HEPA filters kept the entire chamber at a lower pressure than the outside air. Pressure inside and outside the chamber was monitored 24/7.

February 18, 2008, Framing completed.

February 25, Plywood sheeting added to roof.

Decon trailer, looking at dirty room & shower

     The provider has a decontamination trailer which was connected to the encapsulating framework. This trailer provided three rooms.
     1: A Dirty Room... prior to exiting, all workers left their work coveralls and boots and entered the...
      2: Shower... each person showered, removed and cleaned their respirator then proceeded to the
     3: Clean room... here they will left their respirator, dressed and exited.
     This also served as the only entrance into the encapsulated locomotive area, just in reverse order and no showers taken.
     This decontamination trailer was one of two fresh air entry points for the entire structure-system encapsulating the locomotive.

Decon Trailer, dirty room, shower & clean room.

Reinforced plastic being installed on the outside of framework.

The outside layer of plastic is reinforced by what looks like nylon thread. It comes in 20 foot wide rolls. The roll on the ground doesn't look like it, but it unfolds to 20 ft. wide. This outside layer is not air tight. Two more layers of 6 mill poly were installed inside this framework. Each layer of the inside poly was sealed.

fireman's side, reinforced plastic fully installed

02/27/08, Engineer's and fireman's sides, outside covering of plastic completed.

Engineer's side cab, firebox, scaffolding being sealed off.

One of the techniques of asbestos removal is to seal out everything that doesn't have asbestos. Every item that comes in contact with the asbestos during removal or prior to removal will have to be cleaned and sprayed with a lock down paint. On this locomotive project, all parts of the cab, undercarriage, firebox and both dynamos are being sealed out of the system with two sealed layers of 6 mil poly.

To seal out the undercarriage, the poly will go over the scaffolding, over the drivers, down onto boards that have been laid across the lower inner sections of the frame, up over the drivers on the other side and across the scaffolding. This is probably one of the harder tasks of this job.

Clearly, the ratio of pre-removal preparation to actual asbestos removal is at least 3 to 1.

Spreading the plastic between the drivers and sealing to undercarriage.

area between drivers sealed out of system

Two negative air machines installed outside enclosure.

     Shown here are two negative air machines. They keep the enclosure at a lower pressure than the outside and run 24/7 during the asbestos removal. Normally they are inside the enclosure. Due to space limitations inside, they are on the outside. The filter end is inserted into the enclosure and sealed with all three layers of plastic.
     Only one is needed for this setup, the second is a spare. On location is a third.
     Note that in front of the exhaust is an air particle monitor that is read each working day. This is just one of several stationed around and inside the enclosure.

Negative air machines viewed from inside the enclosure.

This view is from inside the enclosure. The two machines are the same. The upper has an additional filter installed on it's face. The air intake end has three filters. The first gets changed daily, the second every 2 to 3 days, the last is a 3000-5000 hours and is a HEPA filter.

The decontamination trailer is finally attached to the enclosure by means of a frame and sheeting just like the rest of the structure around the locomotive.
Notice all the plastic is sucked in. That's the negative air working properly.

The only remaining task prior to the inspection by Oklahoma Dept. of Labor was the building of the load-out chamber and proper signage.
The load-out chamber is the second fresh air intake and a hazardous material exit point. It is not a people entrance or exit.

Bagged asbestos is passed from the enclosure through triple curtains into this chamber where it is bagged again. It is then passed outside through another set of triple curtains to a person standing outside who deposits the double bagged asbestos into the load out trailer. The load out trailer is lined with double layer of 6 mil poly. just like the interior of the enclosure.

Double bagged asbestos in load-out trailer.

The first Oklahoma Dept of Labor inspection was mid-day Wednesday 03/12/2008. Everything passed and asbestos removal began that afternoon. By Friday, 03/14/2008 the boiler section was asbestos free.

Finally the actual asbestos removal!

No one can be inside the enclosure without the proper protective clothing. Those consist of a respirator with proper asbestos filters (color coded pink), paper shorts, paper coveralls with hood extended over the head and respirator straps. Also included are gloves with coverall sleeves taped to gloves and rubber hard toe boots with coverall legs taped to boot tops. A percentage of the workers have to wear a portable micro fiber monitor (taped to his waist in the back).

The asbestos is under the skin of the boiler section. It was put on as bricks, 6 to 8 inches tall, up to 24 inches wide and 1 to 2 inches thick. The bricks were held in place by thin wires attached to the boiler plate. Most of those wires have rusted away.

two workers removing metal skin covering the asbestos

lifting asbestos from boiler and placing in bag

Step 1: remove the metal sheeting covering the asbestos.

Step 2: wet the asbestos with a soapy water solution to cut down airborne fibers.

Step 3: remove asbestos from boiler section and put in bag .....minimize distance to bag.

microfibers locked down with asbestos paint

Step 4: clean the remaining metal by vacuuming with a HEPA vac, scraping and washing.

Step 5: lock down remaining micro fibers of asbestos with thinned down latex paint.

engine cab: spraying & removing asbestos

Worker wetting down asbestos in preparation to remove the asbestos.

Engineer's cab locked down with latex paint.

At this point it's the final inspection and tear down. Everything was down, cleaned up and gone by March 27, 2008. Six weeks to the day after beginning.

Final teardown of structure over the locomotive.