Description of the job

 

On behalf of Cofely GDF Suez, a sweep investigation was carried out in the technical areas of the buildings belonging to the Municipality of Milan, to list and map all asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF). Our company carried out these investigations in over 300 buildings, such as schools, nursery schools, libraries, public swimming pools and offices.

The operations were organised according to the following programme:

• VISUAL INVESTIGATION TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE ASBESTOS-CONTAINING MATERIALS
• SAMPLE TAKING
• LABORATORY ANALYSES TO DETECT ASBESTOS AND MMVF
• FINAL REPORT INCLUDING ASBESTOS AND MMVF MAPPING ON PLANS, PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATIONS AND VERSAR INDEX

Possible asbestos-containing materials under investigation are part of a long list including:

• Pipe insulators
• Gaskets and flanges
• Ropes
• Panels
• Plasters

Man-made vitreous

The man-made vitreous fibres discovered were classified, according to the "Guidelines for the remediation of man-made vitreous fibre-containing building elements" of the Region Lombardy, as:

• NON CARCINOGENIC
• CARCINOGENIC - TYPE 2
• CARCINOGENIC - TYPE 3

The three above-mentioned cases require three different removal and disposal methods.

 

Data

Customer: Cofely GDF Suez

Construction site: Various buildings of the city of Milan

Area: Milano

Work Period: 6 months

Work Termination: January 2015

 

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Ansaldo Breda’s plant in Reggio Calabria had already been significantly remediated in 2001. In the framework of the workers' health protection programme, the danger due to exposure to any remaining asbestos fibres was taken into account. Analysis of a number of samples of deposited dust detected asbestos fibres in some of them. Air analyses, to detect airborne asbestos fibres, produced negative results. The most probable reason for the presence of asbestos in the powders is the replacement of the Eternit asbestos roof sheets, done 15 years ago.

The company decided to have TIA perform the special clean-up to remove the asbestos-contaminated dust, during the summer production downtime.

Main operations carried out

The limited number of days available for the job and the huge size of the plant required a significant deployment of workers and equipment to meet the deadline and achieve perfect remediation. The main operations we carried out are:

• REMOVAL OF FALSE CEILING PANELS
• REMOVAL OF THE SUPPORTING METAL STRUCTURE
• EXTRAORDINARY CLEANING AND THOROUGH ASPIRATION OF ASBESTOS FIBRE-CONTAINING DUST FROM METALLIC STRUCTURES AND OVERHEAD INSTALLATIONS

The extraordinary cleaning was carried out in the following departments:

• Fitting-out department and offices - approx 12,000 m²
• Carpentry department - approx. 16,000 m²
• Painting department - approx. 3,000 m²

and on the following elements:

• Gantry crane plans and jib crane girders, gantry crane runners, jib crane runners
• Kerbs beneath, purlins, uprights and any supporting structure
• Lighting systems, wall switchgears and wireways
• Shed skylights
• Perimeter and dividing walls
• Departments work booths and offices, including their installation wireways
• Floorings of all departments

Sequence of activities

• WORK SITE SETTING-UP (FENCING, WATER AND POWER SYSTEMS, STORAGE AREAS SETTING-UP)
• MOVEMENT OF MOVABLE EQUIPMENT WITHIN THE DEPARTMENTS
• CLOSING AND SEALING OF AREAS SUBJECT TO DECONTAMINATION AND UDP INSTALLATION
• CONFINEMENT OF NON-MOVABLE MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT BY MEANS OF POLYTHENE SHEETS
• REMOVAL OF THE FALSE CEILING
• WET CLEANING OF SHED WINDOWS
• GENERAL ASPIRATION AND CLEANING OF STRUCTURES, INSTALLATIONS AND FLOORINGS
• FINAL TEST WITH SAMPLES AND SEM ANALYSES
• WORK SITE CLOSING

Technical data

Average presence in the work site: 1 site manager, 41 remediation operators, with peaks of up to 70 people simultaneously.

 

Data

Customer: Ansaldo Breda

Construction site: Production plant in Via Gebbione

Area: Reggio Calabria

Work period: 23 days

Work termination: August 2015

 

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