Salisbury Senior High School Auxiliary Gym.

Auxiliary Gymnasium Floor Asbestos Abatement

Salisbury Township School District

In January 2014, a frozen sprinkler line located in the Salisbury High School’s auxiliary gym burst, causing damage to the gym floor. Initially, Element Environmental Solutions (E2S) was contacted to investigate issues surrounding the water damage. Mold can still be an issue in the winter, but the initial investigation revealed that mold was not the concern in this case. The school responded quickly and was able to prevent the spread of mold before it had a chance to grow. Instead, an old non-friable asbestos containing material (ACM) was identified during the investigation. While the auxiliary gym isn’t the high school’s primary gym, it was used on a regular basis making renovation high priority. It was used as a practice area for many of the high school’s athletic teams, including the baseball and softball teams due to the wet and harsh winter months. New flooring needed to be installed since the water caused irreparable damage to the gym floor. E2S was contracted by the Salisbury Township School District to conduct a hazardous materials inspection to determine whether any of the floor’s materials contained asbestos. Although the School District knew that much of the ACM in the gym was removed in the 1990s, they decided to err on the side of caution because the health of all students and workers was their top priority. Furthermore, there was potential for ACM to still exist because the gym floor was not included in the 1990s asbestos abatement project. After E2S investigated the flooring, it was determined that the mastic and felt paper underneath the wood flooring did contain asbestos at regulated levels (>1% asbestos content) by PLM analysis.  

E2S designed the abatement of the ACM and prepared the bid form technical specification documents in accordance with all applicable state and federal EPA regulations. E2S also prepared and managed the bidding process to include pre-bid conference, site walkthrough and contract review on behalf of the client. E2S oversaw demolition and the asbestos abatement of the damaged floor performed by Power Component Systems, Inc. (PCS) from February 25 to March 13, 2014. E2S monitored the air inside and around the work area daily to ensure the safety of staff and students during removal. Asbestos containing materials were removed from the containment area only after school hours to prevent any possible student exposure. Though previously unknown, this floor was not the original flooring and was installed in 1989. Certain asbestos containing materials were still available for use when the second floor was placed in 1989 and these materials were placed below the wood flooring. E2S conducted a final inspection and clearance sampling, which determined that the area was safe for re-occupancy.