Overview

The Office of Environmental Management & Services (OEMS) has an in-house Environmental Response Team (ERT).  The ERT consists of twenty-seven School District of Philadelphia employees who are specially trained and licensed as Asbestos Abatement Workers.  The ERT is responsible for abating a variety of environmental conditions including asbestos, lead and mold.  The team works with other specialized tradesmen to repair/maintain equipment/facilities that contain asbestos such as heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as provides abatement services to the Capital Improvement Program to prepare facilities for renovation activities. 

To ensure the quality of work and to comply with Philadelphia Asbestos Control Regulations, the Environmental Response Team is supported by highly qualified and experienced environmental consultants.  An asbestos inspection is performed by a licensed Building Inspector before any construction/renovation activities occur in School District of Philadelphia facilities.  An Asbestos Inspection Report (AIR) is generated and remains on-site for the duration of all construction/renovation projects.  At all times during abatement activities a licensed Asbestos Project Inspector (consultant) remains on-site to monitor the project, provide environmental oversight and perform air-sampling. When the abatement is completed, the Inspector collects air-samples. Additionally, for quality assurance purposes, side-by-side air-sampling may be performed by an environmental consulting firm hired by the Philadelphia Federation of Teacher's Union, Health & Welfare Fund. 

After asbestos abatement activities are completed and before areas are reoccupied, air-samples are analyzed by a certified laboratory.  Before re-occupancy, air-sample results must indicate that the airborne concentrations are below the normal re-occupancy levels for schools, as per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), and the Philadelphia Asbestos Control Regulations.