BySenate Labor & Commerce (originally sponsored by Senators Stanford, Frockt, Conway, Keiser, Hasegawa, Liias, Van De Wege, Billig, Hunt, and Saldaña)

AN ACT Relating to asbestos-containing building materials; amending RCW 70.310.020; adding new sections to chapter 70.310 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the use of asbestos-containing building materials in new construction or renovations is prohibited.

(b) The use of asbestos-containing building materials that are, as of the effective date of this section, already ordered by a contractor or currently in the possession of the contractor; or

(c) The use of asbestos-containing building materials if complying with subsection (1) of this section would result in the breach of an existing contract.

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Asbestos" includes the asbestiform varieties of actinolite, amosite (cummingtonite-grunerite), tremolite, chrysotile (serpentine), crocidolite (riebeckite), anthophyllite, and any of these minerals that have been chemically treated or altered. The chemical abstracts service registry number for each is as follows: Asbestos (1332-21-4), actinolite (13768-00-8), amosite (12172-73-5), tremolite (14567-73-8), chrysotile (12001-29-5), crocidolite (12001-28-4), and anthophyllite (17068-78-9).

(2) "Asbestos-containing building material" means any building material to which asbestos is deliberately added in any concentration or that contains more than one-tenth of one percent asbestos by weight or area as determined using the United States environmental protection agency method for the determination of asbestos in building materials, EPA/600/R-93/116, July 1993.

(3) "Building material" includes materials designed for, or used in, construction, renovation, repair, or maintenance of institutional, commercial, public, industrial, or residential buildings and structures. The term does not include automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats, or other mobile means of transportation.

(4) "Consumer" means any person that acquires a building material for direct use or ownership, rather than for resale or use in production and manufacturing.

(6) "Person" means any individual, firm, public or private corporation, association, partnership, political subdivision, municipality, or government agency.

(8) "Interested party" means any contractor, subcontractor, or worker that performs, or is reasonably expected to perform, work at a facility covered under section 3 of this act or any organization whose members perform, or are reasonably expected to perform, work at a facility covered under section 3 of this act.

(9) "Residential construction" means construction, alteration, repair, improvement, or maintenance of single-family dwellings, duplexes, apartments, condominiums, and other residential structures not to exceed four stories in height, including the basement.

(1) Every owner of a facility that is engaged in activities described in codes 31 through 33 of the North American industry classification system must:

(a) Perform an inspection of the facility to determine whether asbestos-containing building materials are present and reinspect asbestos-containing building materials every three years thereafter. Such inspections must be conducted by persons meeting the accreditation requirements of the federal toxic substances control act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 2646(a)(1) and (3); and

(b) Develop, maintain, and update an asbestos management plan and keep a copy at the facility. The asbestos management plan must be updated every three years and after any material changes in asbestos-containing building materials in the facility. The asbestos management plan must include:

(i) The name and address of each facility and whether the facility has asbestos-containing building materials, and the type of asbestos-containing building material;

(iv) A blueprint of the facility that clearly identifies the location of asbestos-containing building materials;

(vi) A copy of the analysis of any building or facility, and the name and address of any laboratory that sampled the material;

(vii) The name, address, and telephone number of a designated contact that ensures the duties of the owner are carried out; and

(viii) A description of steps taken to inform workers about inspections, reinspections, response actions, and periodic surveillance of the asbestos-containing building materials.

(2) The asbestos management plan required under subsection (1)(b) of this section must be made available to the department, the department of labor and industries, local air authorities in jurisdictions where they exist, and any interested party upon request. In addition to the penalties established by this chapter, failure to create or maintain a required asbestos management plan is a violation of chapter 49.17 RCW and subject to the penalties established under RCW 49.17.180 and 49.17.190.