Asbestos was once a commonly used building material
because it is not affected by heat or chemicals and does not conduct
electricity. Now, however, it is considered a serious indoor air pollutant with
links to such serious respiratory diseases as asbestosis, mesothelioma, and
lung cancer. Asbestos was used in many products that were installed in
Illinois' schools and commercial buildings for decades.
In the mid-1980s, newly enacted state and federal legislation required that
schools be inspected for asbestos and that plans for its management be
developed. The Department's Division of Environmental Health reviews asbestos
management plans for elementary and secondary school facilities and inspects
abatement projects to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. More
recently enacted legislation regulates persons who perform asbestos-related
activities in commercial and public buildings and requires that such activities
be carried out safely. People who manage or abate asbestos in elementary
and secondary schools must be trained and licensed. Now, more than 10,000
people are licensed each year.
The Division of Environmental Health has established separate
licensing criteria for various asbestos management disciplines. All licenses
expire on May 15 each year, except Workers, which expire on February 1 each
year.
Asbestos Workers & Contractors
-
Workers who manage or abate asbestos in
schools, commercial, or public buildings must be trained and licensed.
- Contractors are responsible for conducting
asbestos abatement projects. All contractors who conduct asbestos abatement
projects must have insurance and are required to be licensed.
Asbestos Professionals (Supervisors, Project Managers,
Air Sampling Professionals, Project Designers, Inspectors, Management
Planners)
- Supervisors are the Contractor's
designees on asbestos abatement projects and are responsible for ensuring that
work is conducted in accordance with state and federal regulations.
- Project Managers are the
building owner's or school district's representative on school projects and are
responsible for ensuring that the workers and supervisors are complying with
the contract specification and state and federal regulations. Projects Managers
are not required to oversee asbestos abatement projects in commercial
and public buildings, but if a building owner chooses to have an individual
oversee the project, then the Department requires that the person be
licensed.
- Air Sampling Professionals are
responsible for taking air samples to determine the airborne concentration of
asbestos inside and outside the work area. The Air Sampling Professional
conducts aggressive clearance air monitoring at the end of asbestos abatement
projects to ensure that the concentration of asbestos in the air is acceptable
for reoccupation of the area.
- Project Designers are
required to develop project designs for school buildings. The project designers
are required to draw up specifications and contracts that contractors must
follow to complete an asbestos abatement project that meets state and federal
regulations. If a project design is developed for asbestos abatement in
commercial and public buildings, then it must be completed by a licensed
Project Designer.
- Inspectors are required to
identify asbestos-containing materials by sampling suspected
asbestos-containing materials discovered during an inspection.
- Management Planners are
required to develop management plans based upon information from an Inspector.
Each school in Illinois must develop and maintain an asbestos management plan
describing the management of the school's asbestos-containing building
materials. Commercial and public buildings in Illinois are not required
to develop management plans.
Applications - Instructions -
Notification - Forms
Asbestos Worker Application - Fillable PDF* or
Spanish - PDF
Asbestos Contractor Application - Fillable PDF*
Asbestos Professional Application -
PDF - Application
Instructions
Asbestos Training Course Provider
Application - PDF - Application Instructions
Asbestos Training Course Instructor Application - PDF
Asbestos Abatement
Notification Form - Fillable PDF*
LEA Responcibilities Under AHERA - Fillable PDF*
Illinois Accredited Training Course Providers
Project Manager's Report Form - Fillable PDF*
Request for Variance Cover Sheet - Fillable PDF*
Responsibilities of Local
Education Agencies for Asbestos in Schools
*Fillable PDF Forms work best with the latest version of the Adobe Reader
Search License Database
Licensed Asbestos Abatement Professionals Contractors and Workers -
Searchable List
Asbestos Abatement Regulations Asbestos Abatement Act (105 ILCS 105)
Commercial and Public Building Asbestos Abatement Act (225 ILCS 207)
Asbestos Abatement for Public and Private Schools and Commercial and Public Buildings in Illinois (77 Ill. Adm. Code 855)
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