The management of asbestos containing materials at the NIH campus involves the efforts of several Divisions within the NIH organizational structure.

The Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORFDO) provides facilities personnel with training and guidance in recognizing and responding to potential asbestos containing materials in buildings throughout the campus. Trained ORFDO personnel may perform limited asbestos abatement as required, subject to direction of their Supervisor and oversight by the DOHS. They are responsible for ensuring that areas are assessed for asbestos containing materials prior to commencement of any renovation or demolition activities. And if new suspect materials are discovered during the course of a project, they will halt operations until the materials can be assessed.

The Division of Occupational Health & Safety (DOHS) provides technical guidance on employee protection when disturbing asbestos, as well as coordination of collection and analysis of suspected asbestos containing materials. The DOHS also reviews asbestos abatement plans submitted by contractors and coordinates air monitoring of asbestos abatement projects to assess airborne levels and to provide re-occupancy clearances.

On January 1, 2010 the NIH adopted several policy changes regarding asbestos abatement oversight and clearance sampling. The letter explaining the changes can be found here.

The Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) coordinates final shipments of asbestos containing materials and asbestos waste. The DEP provides shipping documents for compliance with federal waste regulations and signs as the “generator” on all shipping documents.