January, 2013
On December 7, 2012, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) published its First Notice for proposed amendments to Asbestos Abatement for Public and Private Schools and Commercial and Public Buildings in Illinois (Code Citation: 77 lll. Adm. Code 855 and Illinois Register Citation: 36 lll. Reg. 16804). The proposed rules are publicly available for review and open for public comments until January 21, 2013.
The proposed rules are being revised to require that commercial and public building asbestos abatement requirements are consistent with the more strict asbestos abatement requirements for schools. However, don’t judge a book by its cover, there are hundreds of proposed changes to the existing regulations and it’s not solely limited to abatement work. These proposed changes will significantly affect environmental professionals, including asbestos contractors, air sampling professionals, and licensed asbestos building inspectors, as well as commercial and public building (“CPB”) owners (note: a CPB is defined as the interior space of any building, including industrial, office and/or retail structures; residential structures of 10 or more units; government-owned buildings; hospitals; and, churches). As a result of the more stringent proposed requirements, future costs of asbestos-related work are expected to rise.
More important to note are the increased roles and responsibilities of the CPB owner, which include training of maintenance personnel, conducting inspections prior to renovations, the labeling and periodic inspection of asbestos-containing building material (ACBM), and record-keeping requirements. For those interested in learning more, below is a link for further information discussing IDPH’s Notice of Proposed Amendments. We encourage interested parties to review the proposed changes and new regulations and contact the IDPH and/or your local state representative to speak out in favor or against these changes by Monday, January 21st.
For more information: IDPH Notice of Proposed Amendments
Interested persons may present their comments to:
Susan Meister
Division of Legal Services
Illinois Department of Public Health
535 W. Jefferson St., 5th Floor
Springfield, IL 62761
(217) 782-2043
email: dph.rules@illinois.gov