Major Airline Emergency Response

MARCOR managers and airline officials examine Super Bay blueprints.

Project Details

• Client: Major Airline, International Airport Super Bay Hangar, CA
• Contaminant: Asbestos
• Consultant: Dames & Moore
• Contract Value: Approximately $1.2 Million

Related Services

• Emergency Spill Response

Background

When northern California began the difficult task of repairing damage caused by a devastating 1989 earthquake, asbestos surfaced as a major concern for many building owners.

MARCOR's combined crews would work ten consecutive 20-hour days to clear asbestos, allowing structural engineers to examine the Super Bay without fear of exposure to the hazardous fibers.

Before engineers could evaluate the structural integrity of the earthquake-damaged Super Bay hanger, the airline faced another problem: Hazardous asbestos insulation covered four structural steel towers, which supported the massive ceiling. The hangar itself covered about five football fields in area, and its 80-foot towers, as well as structural I-beams and the enormous ceiling deck were encased in miles of four-inch-thick, deteriorating asbestos. MARCOR responded to this emergency situation with six crews mobilized from four of its offices. Our San Francisco and Los Angeles offices, whose services were already in high demand due to other earthquake-related emergencies, supplied two crews each, while two of our other operations supplied one additional crew each. (MARCOR's technicians are cross-trained, and experienced in providing seamless service.) Each operation was assigned to one of the four towers, and the project was directed by two MARCOR Project Managers and eight MARCOR Certified Supervisors.

Job Description

Negative air pressure was maintained around the clock in enclosed work areas to prevent release of asbestos fibers. The consultant inspected each phase of the project.

A 10,000 psi pressure washer, typically used to hydro-blast asbestos from coated surfaces, could not loosen or remove the asbestos. MARCOR's technicians, working from custom-made scaffolding, had to tediously hand-scrape the asbestos. In addition to the unusual height considerations, this emergency project presented a management challenge: Abatement had to be achieved with minimal interruption to airplane maintenance activities.

First the work area was contained, and negative air pressure (to .02 inches of water column) was maintained for the duration of the abatement process. The asbestos was wetted with a surfactant to promote penetration through to the substrate metal. Then the tedious scraping process commenced. After scraping, thoroughly cleaning, and inspecting the treated surfaces, an encapsulant was spray-applied to lock down any minute fibers that could have remained. Our Guzzler™ vacuum loader collected the majority of scraped material; then our portable HEPA vacuums fine-cleaned tighter areas. The asbestos was then packed in regulatory approved, triple-wall boxes, labeled and transported to a hazardous waste disposal facility. An application of non-asbestos-containing fireproofing completed the job.

For additional information, call MARCOR's corporate headquarters at 1-800-547-0128 or send email to info@marcor.com.