Targus was engaged to provide technical project support and professional staffing for assessment services related to the redevelopment of areas of Fort Worth slated for redevelopment in connection with redirecting and protecting portions of the downtown Trinity River floodplain. One of the areas had progressed to the point of demolition with excavation under way in preparation for future construction.
During excavation an abandoned coated natural gas pipeline was uncovered. Targus conducted inspection for hazardous substances and confirmed the presence of 10% chrysotile asbestos in the protective tarred pipe wrap coating. Because the pipe was located outdoors, Targus confirmed that it was exempt from Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) regulation. Because the length of pipeline slated for removal at the time was less than 260 linear feet, we also verified that removal was exempt from EPA National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulation. However, in order to demonstrate compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) worker protection requirements, Targus was engaged to develop project-specific work procedures for field removal and handling activities and assisted the client in selecting and engaging a licensed asbestos abatement firm for proper removal, transportation, and disposal of the wrapped pipe.
Targus provided an accredited asbestos professional, licensed by the DSHS, to observe and document proper pipeline removal activities and loading of the sections of pipe onto vehicles for transportation after completing waste profile forms to secure landfill approval. Targus documented that regulated friable asbestos-containing material was not created during the removal process, and that no visual air emissions were present that would be prohibited under NESHAP regulations.
