Which of the following is a step in the six pre-abatement steps?

• A. Negative Pressure Establishment
• B. Project Closeout
• C. Final Cleaning
• D. Equipment Calibration

Answer: (A)

Establishing negative pressure is essential before starting abatement because it creates a containment environment that prevents asbestos fibers from escaping to other parts of the building. By drawing air into the work area through a HEPA-filtered exhaust system and keeping the area at a lower pressure than adjacent spaces, contaminants are kept inside the containment. This pre-abatement step helps protect workers and building occupants during the removal process.

The other options occur later in the workflow: project closeout happens after the work is finished; final cleaning is the thorough cleaning conducted after removal to ensure no fibers remain; and equipment calibration is about verifying monitoring tools and can occur as part of ongoing operations but is not a defining pre-abatement step.