Asbestos Contractor/Supervisor Practice Exam

During a Class I abatement job greater than 25 feet, when can a respirator be removed?

1. After air clearance is achieved

2. When outside the regulated area

3. Once decontamination is completed

4. In the clean room

The correct answer is: In the clean room

A respirator can be removed in the clean room because the clean room is the final stage of the decontamination process where workers are deemed to be in an area that is free of asbestos contamination. The clean room is designed to ensure that workers can safely remove personal protective equipment like respirators because it is a regulated area that has controlled conditions to minimize the risk of exposure. In contrast, air clearance being achieved refers to passing air quality tests to confirm that no hazardous levels of asbestos fibers remain, but that step may occur before workers actually leave the regulated area. Simply being outside the regulated area does not guarantee that the worker's clothing or equipment is free from contamination, and therefore respirators should not be removed immediately just for leaving this space. Lastly, decontamination is an important process, but it doesn’t indicate that the area itself is completely safe until the worker enters the clean room. Thus, the proper protocol is to wait until reaching the clean room to ensure maximum safety.