What Is AHERA

Nabholz’s environmental team specializes in services for commercial and industrial facilities. The environmental team are experts in mold remediation, asbestos abatement, lead paint evaluations, and more. Along with environmental solutions, our teams are ready to educate our communitas about how to comply with regulations set for them.  

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires local education agencies to maintain their responsibilities under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA). Regulation requires public school districts and non-profit private schools, including charter schools and schools affiliated with religious institutions, to inspect their schools for asbestos-containing building materials to prevent or reduce asbestos hazards. State requirements may vary; please contact your local state agency for more information.  

AHERA is a federal program that passed in 1986 that requires all K-12 schools to safely manage asbestos in their school buildings.  The purpose of AHERA training is to prevent exposure to asbestos in children while at school. In general, schools are required perform inspections for asbestos material, prepare a management plan and take action, meet additional specifications, and comply with the  Asbestos National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).

What Is Asbestos 

Asbestos is a naturally occurring, fibrous mineral that was previously used in a wide variety of building construction materials. Valued for its heat resistance and efficient fireproofing, asbestos was used in construction for thousands of years before its toxic nature was discovered in the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

If asbestos is disturbed, anyone near is at risk of breathing in asbestos fibers, which can get into the lungs, where they can remain indefinitely. In larger demolitions, the surrounding community is also at risk as weather can pick up and distribute asbestos fibers across a larger area beyond the immediate work site. Inhaling these fibers can cause serious – and often fatal – health problems, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma, a form of cancer with a high mortality rate. 

How to Get Involved 

Educators can receive AHERA training either through their local Education Cooperative or by reaching out to Nabholz to schedule training. School districts who work with Nabholz are offered the training at a small or no cost. The training consists of topics such as the history of asbestos, how to identify it, the different types and where it is commonly located, and how and what to do if there is damage to an asbestos containing area. Training requirements are a two-hour awareness session for maintenance personnel or any representative of the school that can monitor building conditions and a 16-hour training session for at least one local education agency appointed person that oversees the AHERA plan. 

It is important for school administrations to know that OSHA and/or the EPA can come to your school at any time and ask to see your AHERA plan. Also, once a year, schools are required to provide parents of students with a copy of the AHERA plan.  

To schedule AHERA training with Nabholz for your school, contact our Nabholz Environmental Team.  

To learn for about asbestos and removal actions, click here.