Asbestos.
It was a building material installed in nearly every structure built before 1977, when the Environmental Protection Agency outlawed its use because it causes three types of fatal lung ailments.
Still, plenty of it remains in buildings both across the country and
on campus.
Constant construction and renovation at the University during the least the past few years has kept Steve Pelkey, safety coordinator for Facilities Services, busy with asbestos management and removal.
Pelkey said he reviews every construction and renovation project on campus and, when applicable, uses them as an opportunity to remove asbestos.
“Every building gets remodeled eventually,” Pelkey said.
Last month, the University removed the asbestos ceiling tiles from the first floor of Oregon Hall. Oregon Hall employees said they felt safe, even with asbestos removal workers only feet away from their workstations.
“They didn’t disrupt our work at all,” cashier Tom Morter said. “It looked to me like they were following all the proper safety procedures.”
Pelkey said the University is known in the Oregon University System for having the highest standards in Oregon for asbestos management and removal.
Risk manager for OUS Elizabeth Dickenson said she attributes the University’s excellent safety record to its decision to hire a full-time manager, Pelkey, for asbestos removal 15 years ago, when the state decided to invest $1 million in a program to manage asbestos on campus.
“The University of Oregon does have a very good record for asbestos abatement,” Dickenson said.
Pelkey said the amount of asbestos currently on campus is difficult to quantify because it can be found in so many different materials, but he said there is more than enough to keep him busy until he retires. Asbestos can be found in the insulation around pipes, in ceiling panels, fire doors and even in the tiles that make up the floors of many of the University’s buildings.
“We treat it all the same,” Pelkey said. “From a trace to 50 percent, it’s all managed with the same care.”
Asbestos in campus buildings is managed by Pelkey and his two full-time employees, who check asbestos-filled fixtures twice a year for signs of wear. The asbestos is removed if the fixtures are worn and pose a threat.
“We manage it and we remove it when we need to,” Pelkey said. “We go by EPA guidelines.”
According to the EPA, asbestos-filled fixtures that are in good shape should be left alone and monitored for signs of wear.
Pelkey said each year certain buildings are slated for asbestos removal. Safe asbestos removal makes the campus altogether safer by reducing the number of sites Facilities Services has to monitor.
When asbestos is removed on campus, it is done only under strict supervision by skilled workers. For small jobs, Facilities Services uses its own employees. For larger jobs, construction crews are hired from a list of contractors approved by OUS.
Dickenson said OUS keeps between six and eight contractors on retainer. To get on the list, contractors must pass a lengthy evaluation process requiring all employees to submit references and licensing documents for consideration.
“We thoroughly review everything they submit,” Dickenson said.
A number of methods have been developed for safely removing asbestos. For small jobs, like those around heating and cooling pipes, a glove bag is used.
A glove bag is an airtight bag that is sealed around the asbestos and has gloves sewn inside of it. A worker can put his hands in the gloves and remove the asbestos without ever getting exposed to it.
For larger jobs, the area is sealed behind a wall and filtered fans are used to create an area of negative pressure within the work area. Even if a hole is poked in the plastic sealing, the area air will rush in from the outside and keep the asbestos from escaping. In either case, asbestos crews wear sealed suits and respirators as backup protection.
But procedures mean nothing without trained employees to follow them.
Allan Smith, Facilities Services business and human resources manager, said Pelkey is well qualified for the job and has to take classes and tests every year to maintain his license with the state to work with asbestos.
“The University is lucky to have Steve,” Smith said.
For more information on asbestos removal and Pelkey’s program go to facilities.uoregon.edu/safety.

[email protected]