Asbestos standard: Joint compound is not a surfacing material.

OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards and regulations. Our interpretation letters explain these requirements and how they apply to particular circumstances, but they cannot create additional employer obligations. This letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation of the requirements discussed. Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. Also, from time to time we update our guidance in response to new information. To keep apprised of such developments, you can consult OSHA's website at https://www.osha.gov.

May 14, 1998

Mr. Mark V. Wiggins
OSHA Standards Officer
South Carolina Department of LLR-OSHA
3600 Forest Drive
P.O. Box 11329
Columbia, South Carolina 29211-1329

Dear Mr. Wiggins:

This is in response to your letter of October 23, to Ms. Dinwiddie, with the Columbia, South Carolina, Area Office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), concerning asbestos-containing joint compound.

You refer to the definition of "surfacing material" at 29 CFR 1926.1101(b) in the OSHA construction asbestos standard which reads:

Duty of building owners to determine the presence, location, and quantity of ACM and PACM.

OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards and regulations. Our interpretation letters explain these requirements and how they apply to particular circumstances, but they cannot create additional employer obligations. This letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation of the requirements discussed. Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. Also, from time to time we update our guidance in response to new information. To keep apprised of such developments, you can consult OSHA's website at https://www.osha.gov.

November 17, 1999

Mr. Stephen H. Wong
Law Clerk
Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP
2049 Century Park East
Twenty-Eighth Floor
Los Angeles, California 90067-3284

Dear Mr. Wong: