In May 2025, the Bayview team assigned to the Pacific Palisades (L.A. County Wildfire Response) faced a significant challenge: how to safely descend into a steep canyon filled with heavy brush and unstable footing to locate, bag, and retrieve asbestos-containing roof shingles (ACM) from the rear of a residential property that had burned down. The shingles were approximately 150 feet below, scattered across the hillside and intermingled with vegetation and debris.
Bayview Project Foreman Jose Navarro contacted his Superintendent, Chris Bryant, and Safety Technician Craig Hitchcock with a preliminary plan. The proposed approach involved the use of a body belt, 150 feet of arborist rope (with a 9,000 lb tensile strength), a Petzl Zig-Zag descender, and anchor bolts. After two onsite safety walkthroughs in advance of the job, a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) was conducted. The plan was then reviewed with the project team and ECC, at which point the proposed means and methods were approved.
Three Bayview employees were selected based on their physical capabilities to navigate a complex hillside environment and their ability to quickly learn and operate unfamiliar equipment. On May 29, 2025, the Pre-Task Plan (PTP) was reviewed, and training on the equipment began. The equipment was first demonstrated to the crew in a controlled training environment. Representatives from ECC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were onsite and signed off on the work plan prior to the start of the task. It was clear that both were impressed by Bayview’s professionalism and preparation.
Working in challenging conditions, the three-man crew successfully completed the abatement of asbestos-containing materials in approximately 11 days, generating 1,000 bags without incident.
This project is a great example of Bayview’s teamwork, safe work practices, communication, and the dedication of its hardworking personnel.
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