In July 2013, Hydro Review published an article on asbestos in hydroelectric powerhouses, with case studies from three hydro plant owners in North America.
The challenges surrounding asbestos for hydroelectric facilities rest primarily in this situation: Asbestos was mined for industrial use beginning in the 1850s, meaning it was in accepted use even before the first hydro plants were built in North America. And although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the U.S. passed asbestos regulations in 1971, new use of the material was not banned until 1989.
Asbestos can be significant concern under a broad range of scenarios, from decommissioning a century-old facility to rehabilitating a plant that is only 35 years old. The use of this material for industrial and construction purposes was so widespread, it can be nearly impossible to know if and where it is located in a facility that predates the 1989 ban.
In the nine years that have passed since that 2013 article was published, has the situation changed significantly? We reached back out to the owners featured in that article to get an update on their work to ensure personnel safety while dealing with asbestos.
Below are their updates:
Bureau of Reclamation
Reclamation continues to conduct inspections to determine and document the presence of asbestos in all its facilities, said Peter Soeth, public affairs specialist. These are performed during regular inspections and before any maintenance or construction. For example, Reclamation has identified asbestos throughout power plants, including wiring, electrical insulation, breakers, arc chutes, cable trays, floor tile, mastic, drywall, gaskets, brake shoes and ducting.
“Protecting our employees and contractors is the most important thing that we do regarding asbestos,” said Bobby Mcgough, Reclamation’s hazmat coordinator. “Before any construction, Reclamation will remediate the asbestos when it may or will be disturbed by the work.”
Reclamation provides asbestos awareness training to employees involved in the operation and maintenance of its facilities. Training is provided for Reclamation’s industrial hygienist and select maintenance personnel in procedures for asbestos sampling, identification, labeling, handling, disposal and managing in place.
Reclamation has performed asbestos abatement at several hydropower facilities, including its Boysen, Canyon Ferry, Flatiron, Morrow Point and New Melones power plants. Asbestos detected in breakers, switchgear and wiring was abated during generator overhaul and maintenance projects.
If asbestos is non-friable — that is, it can’t be pulverized with basic pressure — it is noted and left in place. If it is friable — that is it is breaking down, cracking or becoming airborne — Reclamation takes the appropriate actions.
Reclamation continues to have several tips for hydro plant owners facing a similar problem:
- Employ industrial hygiene experts to survey and identify asbestos-containing materials and equipment.
- Develop a plan to manage asbestos that coordinates facility operations and maintenance with exposure potential.
- Provide awareness training for employees working in known asbestos-containing facilities. The training will help employees recognize asbestos and what to do when identifying it.
- Provide training commensurate with the standards for personnel who work with equipment that contains asbestos.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The asbestos program for the Corps’ Portland District has stayed consistent with what was reported in 2013, according to Kenneth Duncan, formerly Portland District Environmental Compliance Program Manager and now Environmental Researcher for the Corps’ Construction Engineering Research Laboratory. He said the district continues to focus on identifying asbestos through surveys and inspections before doing maintenance and only disturbing asbestos when necessary.
Since 2013, the Corps has continued to encounter asbestos in its hydroelectric facilities during maintenance activities and has used both contract and in-house trained asbestos workers and supervisors to identify and remove the asbestos. The Corps has also performed capital improvement work that involves removing and replacing items like old crane equipment that contained significant quantities of concrete asbestos board, wiring and asbestos insulation. In 2020 and 2021, the Corps conducted the removal of about a mile of concrete asbestos cable tray at its The Dalles Dam and 1,780 MW hydroelectric project with an in-house team, contracting out industrial hygiene services (air monitoring) for that work.
Manitoba Hydro
As Edward Gatey, occupational health officer, described nearly a decade ago, asbestos is present in many of the utility’s facilities throughout the province of Manitoba. In part through his efforts, Manitoba Hydro has developed an asbestos inventory for each worksite where asbestos-containing material is known to be present. The inventory also includes updated sampling results and asbestos remediation reports from across the utility.
For employees, the utility has expanded its e-learning training for staff working in these facilities to raise their awareness of asbestos, explain the health risks, teach safe work procedures and instruct them how they should reduce exposure to asbestos.
Click here to read the complete 2013 article, Asbestos in Hydro Powerhouses: Challenges and Solutions.
