DEP Stop Work Order Asbestos Removal in the Bronx

DEP issues asbestos stop work orders when asbestos gets disturbed without the required filings or controls. In the Bronx it usually starts one of a few ways. A gut renovation in a co-op unit pulls up tile and mastic with no survey on file. A boiler swap tears out old lagging. A commercial fit-out opens ceilings nobody tested. Somebody complains, an inspector shows up, the order goes on the door and every trade on the job goes home. Here is the honest version of getting it lifted. First, assess what was disturbed and what is still in place, and sample anything suspect so the lab confirms what you have. Second, get the required filings prepared and filed properly. Third, abate the asbestos at issue with a licensed contractor under full controls: enclosure, negative pressure, wet methods and air monitoring, followed by HEPA cleaning and independent air clearance. Fourth, assemble the documentation so DEP has what it needs to sign off. There is no shortcut through that list, and nobody can truthfully promise you a sign-off date. What a contractor can do is make sure each piece is done right the first time, so the order does not come back. GCs, expediters, owners and managing agents all call for the same reason. They want the job legal and their crews back to work.