AHERA Courses for Building Inspectors and Management Planners

Two Different Courses for Building Inspectors and Management Planners

You must take one of these two courses if you wish to collect a sample or conduct a building inspection for asbestos. EPA regulations require you to inspect a building for asbestos prior to conducting a renovation or demolition job. Cal/OSHA says if you own or work in a building built before 1981, many common materials such as fireproofing spray, flooring, and pipe insulation must be treated as containing asbestos. Only an AHERA accredited inspector can sample and inspect such materials to determine whether they do or do not contain asbestos.

3-Day Course: Building Inspection for Asbestos

This three-day course provides you with a comprehensive review of probable asbestos-containing materials in buildings and techniques for finding them.

This course meets the AHERA training requirements for Building Inspector accreditation and is one of the Cal/OSHA requirements for Site Surveillance Technician certification. You learn the most common locations for asbestos in a building and review the most important federal and California regulations that cover inspection issues. We also discuss health effects, legal liability, and insurance issues. You learn a systems approach to finding hidden asbestos products. Experienced Cal/OSHA Certified Asbestos Consultants explain the AHERA protocols for inspection, sampling, categorizing, and recording materials. You practice using this information by participating in an inspection workshop in a building containing asbestos.

5-Day Course: Building Inspection and Management Planning for Asbestos

This five-day course includes the three-day course described above and adds two more days of management planner information.

The two days of management planning help you evaluate when and where asbestos is a real hazard and how to respond to that hazard.

This course meets the AHERA training requirement for Building Inspector and Management Planner accreditation and is one of the Cal/OSHA requirements for Asbestos Consultant certification.

In the management planning sessions, you first review the critical OSHA, EPA, and California regulations that affect asbestos practices and building occupant notifications. (Regulations are covered in this course in much more detail than in the three-day Building Inspector course.) Then Cal/OSHA Certified Asbestos Consultants provide real-world advice on how to manage asbestos products and evaluate various response options.

They describe the EPA hazard assessment protocols and review algorithms, air sampling, and other methods. You learn the advantages and disadvantages of different air and bulk sampling analysis methods. The instructors review the pros and cons of full removal, encapsulation, developing operations and management (O&M) programs, and other response options. You put all this information together and complete an exercise that requires you to evaluate an asbestos hazard and advise the building owner what to do about it.

Choosing Between the Two Courses

Most students choose to take the five-day course, since in addition to the AHERA accreditation, it provides crucial information on how to assess the exposure hazard and manage asbestos products remaining in your building. The regulations are also discussed in more detail. Enrollment is limited.

Two-Day Management Planning Training

You can take the two days on management planning alone if you previously attended either Building Inspector course. You must be a currently AHERA accredited Building Inspector to take these two days. If you wish to take just these two days, you must contact our program office at (510) 643-7277 at least three weeks before a scheduled course. You cannot register for this option without contacting our office.

Accreditation and Certification

AHERA accreditation: if you attend the entire five-day course and pass the course exam, you will meet the requirement for AHERA accreditation as Building Inspector and Management Planner. If you attend the entire three-day course and pass the exam, you will meet the requirement for AHERA accreditation as Building Inspector.

Cal/OSHA certification: The five-day course is one of the courses required for Asbestos Consultant certification. Either it or the three-day course is one of the requirements for Site Surveillance Technician certification.

ABIH Credit: 5.0 CM points for the five-day course; 3.0 CM points for the three-day course.

Register Early to Receive Student Mailing

You will receive a mailing that includes directions to the course site, lodging information, and course materials that should be read before the course if we receive your enrollment at least two weeks in advance.

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