WHO WE ARE

RFM has been in business since 1991. RFM stands for Respirable Fibers Management. We believe a successful asbestos management program also factors the relative risk of asbestos replacement materials. Some of these insulation materials are currently under scrutiny as potential hazards by EPA, OSHA and The International Agency for the Research on Cancer (IARC).

RFM is not an asbestos abatement contractor or a typical air monitoring firm. Our only business is providing thoughtful solutions to managing the risks associated with the asbestos hazard.

WHAT WE DO

RFM consults with environmental, health and safety professionals and other facilities personnel on a variety of asbestos management and compliance issues. A major portion of our business involves conducting Asbestos Surveys for our clients using our Fiber Tracking System™ (FTS) software. We also write asbestos manuals, guidelines and procedures for our clients as well as provide specialized training such as seminars. Our expertise is in providing specific advice so our clients remain in compliance with all relevant U.S. regulatory agency requirements - See Products.

WHO WE SERVE

RFM primarily works with facility owners nationwide.

Owner Profile

"As published in the June 1999 issue of "HHMM," The newsletter of the Center for Healthcare Environmental Management.

Bill Onderick, president and owner of the consulting firm, Respirable Fibers Management (RFM Inc), recalls sweeping the dust off the boilers at his first summer job during high school, realizing now that he probably had occupational exposure to asbestos at the age of 15. At that time, he had no inkling of where his career would take him or that he would eventually run his own company to help facilities manage asbestos compliance issues.

It was while trying to find new markets for a variety of mature products for the DuPont Company that Onderick stumbled upon the report of a rubber encapsulant that had been sprayed on the ceiling at Harvard University library to control asbestos exposure. After writing a case history on the Harvard library's success story in DuPont's newsletter, he was surprised to receive so many requests for information about this DuPont rubber product, but even more surprised to learn that asbestos was still a widespread problem. After conducting market development in this area, Onderick looked inside DuPont itself and found asbestos was a huge concern. With the go ahead from management, he then created the corporate asbestos management team and put together a plan and a process to address the issue internally. After successfully establishing the DuPont program, he set out on his own in 1991.

Although Onderick and RFM specialize in strategic asbestos management for industrial facility owners, the asbestos risk management techniques they use apply across all industry sectors. Onderick thinks that OSHA and EPA have recently stepped up their asbestos enforcement actions in response to several incidents in the last few years in which untrained homeless people, illegal immigrants and teenagers were hired by unscrupulous owners and asbestos removal contractors to rip out asbestos. These unfortunate incidents have highlighted the fact that asbestos is still an issue in many buildings and facilities and that regulators are watching to ensure that the hazards are handled according to strict OSHA and EPA standards.

Onderick believes that a facility cannot intelligently manage asbestos until it knows where the asbestos is, how much there is and the condition it is in. He prescribes a 4-step process for facilities trying to implement a successful asbestos management program:

First, the facility or organization must have a policy that states how asbestos and other respirable fibers will be managed (e.g., commitment to safe handling, appropriate removal techniques and acceptable substitutes). Other respirable fibers such as fibrous glass and ceramic fibers should be addressed in the policy because these common asbestos replacements may eventually be regulated.

Second, some type of survey must be completed. Onderick says the survey can be an inventory of asbestos locations, a comprehensive site survey with bulk material sampling, a job site survey conducted before work begins in a particular area of the facility, or a survey of materials that are presumed to contain asbestos as defined by OSHA regulations.

The third step is implementing a written Operations and Maintenance (O&M) plan for the entire facility. Aside from being an EPA requirement, the O&M plan takes the guesswork out of handling routine and emergency asbestos repair removal and replacement. O&M plans should include a list of designated personnel and their responsibilities, methods to obtain asbestos inventory or survey information, and regulatory agency notifications, emergencies and waste management. Other O&M program elements that are also covered by the OSHA asbestos standards include labeling of asbestos containing materials (ACM) or Presumed ACM (PACM), air sampling, exposure assessments, training, respiratory protection, protective clothing, hygiene requirements, medical surveillance, record keeping, work practices and controls and specific procedures for routine tasks (e.g., brake and clutch repair and gasket removal). It is also prudent to include contractor screening requirements, contractor activity checklists and asbestos work permits in the O&M plan. Onderick reminds healthcare facility owners that hiring a contractor to conduct asbestos work does not reduce liability for violations committed by the contractor.

The final and most important step toward asbestos management is establishing and conducting a formal, internal auditing process to ensure hazards are appropriately managed. As Onderick says, anyone can have a great plan on paper, but it is more important to have an accurate picture of how things are really being done. Audits should be performed regularly to monitor compliance and to note deficiencies, corrective actions and follow-up.

Onderick also keeps a close eye on new asbestos control technologies and cautions building owners about trying anything that is unproven. Onderick has also been watching the European Union which announced on May 4, 1999, a total ban on chrysotile asbestos by the year 2005, with some countries even banning it sooner. Chrysotile is the last asbestiform currently permitted in Europe, and the ban could spark momentum for a worldwide ban of all asbestos products. For more information, Onderick can be reached at (800) 870-9161; by e-mail at rfmnet2@att.net and through RFM's website at http://www.RFMnet.com. ©1999 ECRI