Every safety, health, or environmental professional deals with situations which illustrate a broader point. One project recently drove home for me a reminder of how little room there is for error in a field where lives are at risk.

This particular project was a complicated asbestos abatement. The renovation work was well underway before testing revealed that fireproofing sprayed on the structural members of the building contained asbestos. Our organization was brought in to do testing, develop an emergency action plan, and perform the necessary industrial hygiene monitoring.