The Asbestos Institute

What The Asbestos Institute does

The Asbestos Institute (TAI) is a privately held, EPA- and Cal/OSHA-accredited safety training company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona (20033 N 19th Ave, Bldg 6), founded in 1987 and operating continuously for over 35 years. The company delivers asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, OSHA, and IICRC mold and water restoration certification courses to environmental and occupational safety professionals, construction and demolition contractors, property managers, and environmental consultants across the United States and internationally. Operated as a sub-S corporation with fewer than 10 employees, the business is family-owned, currently led by President J. Cavness with Executive Manager Andre Zwanenburg and Director Emeritus Bill Cavness.

TAI's core product portfolio consists of the AHERA-accredited training tracks for Building Inspector, Contractor/Supervisor, Management Planner, Project Designer, and Abatement Worker, offered in three delivery formats: in-person classroom instruction at the Phoenix facility, live interactive webinar, and self-paced online via a proprietary Learning Management System. Initial certifications require in-person attendance, while annual refreshers are available in all three formats. Course pricing per student ranges from $49.99 for an online HAZWOPER refresher to $650 for the 24-hour AHERA Building Inspector initial course, with mid-tier refresher webinar and online tracks priced at $150-$210. The portfolio also includes OSHA Lead in Construction, OSHA Silica Awareness, Class II Vinyl Asbestos Tile Removal, HAZWOPER, DOT Hazardous Materials Transportation, RCRA Hazardous Waste, EPA Lead RRP, combined Asbestos/Lead/Mold Awareness, and IICRC mold and water restoration courses, complemented by a bookstore of AHERA reference texts at $24.99 each.

The go-to-market model is primarily direct-to-consumer via the company's website, supported by organic SEO across 50 state-specific certification landing pages, a course recommendation quiz, an educational blog, and direct phone and email support. Private on-site or virtual group training is offered for organizational customers. Disclosed enterprise and government customers include the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, Tesla, Arizona State University, Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and Clearwater. The company holds state training provider approvals in California, Florida, Texas, Utah, and Washington, and reports a 90%+ first-attempt pass rate on its Certified Asbestos Consultant (CAC) exam prep course since 2012.

Name

The Asbestos Institute

Legal name

The Asbestos Institute

Website

https://theasbestosinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Asbestos Institute is a Phoenix-based, EPA- and Cal/OSHA-accredited safety training company founded in 1987 that delivers asbestos, lead, hazmat, OSHA, and IICRC mold/water restoration certification courses to safety and construction professionals nationwide via in-person, live webinar, and self-paced online formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Occupational Safety Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Handling & Response Training (EDAOAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Occupational Safety, OSHA & Workplace Compliance Training (EDAOAMAK)

Keywords

• Asbestos safety training
• AHERA certification
• OSHA compliance courses
• Hazardous materials training
• Environmental safety education

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Course Tuition Fees: Fees for AHERA, OSHA, hazmat, lead safety and other certification courses. Both initial and refresher courses offered in multiple formats (in-person, online, webinar). Pricing varies by course type, duration, and format.
2. Bookstore Sales: Sale of training books and reference materials including AHERA Building Inspector Book ($24.99), Contractor/Supervisor Book, Management Planner Book, Project Designer Book, Worker Book, EPA Asbestos Awareness Book, O&M Book, and U.S. Federal Asbestos Regulations Book
3. Private Course Training: On-site or virtual private training sessions for organizations and groups. Customized instruction delivered directly to client workforce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Asbestos Institute delivers EPA- and Cal/OSHA-accredited safety training and certification for asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, mold, and OSHA-related topics. Courses are offered in three formats—in-person classroom at its Phoenix facility, live instructor-led webinar, and self-paced online via a Learning Management System—along with annual refresher courses and reference books. Private on-site and virtual group training sessions are also available for organizations requiring customized instruction for their workforce.

Product overview

The Asbestos Institute offers a comprehensive portfolio of safety training and certification programs focused on asbestos, lead, hazardous materials, and mold remediation. The core offering consists of EPA AHERA-accredited courses (Building Inspector, Contractor/Supervisor, Management Planner, Project Designer, and Worker) available in three formats: in-person classroom at their Phoenix facility, live webinar, and self-paced online. Initial certifications require in-person training, while annual refreshers are available in all three formats. The product portfolio also includes OSHA compliance courses (Lead in Construction, Silica Awareness, HAZWOPER, HAZCOM), DOT Hazardous Materials Transportation training, IICRC mold and water restoration certifications, and reference books for each AHERA discipline. Private group training is offered for organizations requiring on-site instruction. Founded in 1987 and accredited by both EPA and Cal/OSHA, the company serves professionals nationwide with accreditations valid across most U.S. states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AHERA Building Inspector Training (Initial and Refresher) EPA AHERA-accredited training for asbestos building inspectors, available as a 24-hour in-person initial course and a 4-hour online refresher for annual re-certification, meeting EPA, OSHA, and Cal/OSHA requirements for inspecting schools, public, commercial, and industrial buildings.
• AHERA Contractor/Supervisor Training (Initial and Refresher) EPA AHERA-accredited training for contractors and supervisors managing asbestos abatement projects, available as a 40-hour in-person initial course and 8-hour online or live webinar refresher for annual re-certification.
• AHERA Management Planner Training (Initial and Refresher) EPA AHERA-accredited training for developing and maintaining asbestos management plans for facilities, available as a 16-hour in-person initial course and a 4-hour online annual refresher.
• AHERA Project Designer Training (Initial and Refresher) EPA AHERA-accredited training for preparing asbestos abatement design specifications for architects, engineers, and consultants, available as a 24-hour in-person initial course and an 8-hour online refresher covering budgeting, cost estimation, abatement specifications, and alternative control methods.
• AHERA Worker Training (Initial and Refresher) EPA AHERA-accredited training for asbestos abatement workers, available as a 32-hour in-person initial course and an 8-hour online annual refresher meeting EPA and OSHA requirements.
• OSHA Lead in Construction Training

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ first-time pass rate on CAC exam for students taking TAI's prep course since 2012

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Safety Council: Online OSHA and safety certification provider for both individual and enterprise learners. Directly comparable in online OSHA course delivery and state-acceptance navigation.
• ClickSafety: Online safety training provider offering OSHA, construction, and HazMat courses — directly comparable in OSHA/HazMat training delivery model. Competes for the same individual self-serve learners, especially in online refresher format.
• 360training: Large-scale e-learning marketplace offering OSHA, HazWoper, HAZMAT, and DOT compliance courses. Directly comparable in OSHA-style and hazmat compliance training categories, with broader course catalog and online scale.
• CareerSafe: OSHA 10/30 and construction safety training for young workers and career-technical students. Comparable in OSHA-style safety training delivery, with focus on workforce pipeline rather than legacy hazard compliance.
• CertifyMe: Provides online OSHA, HazWoper, and safety certification courses. Directly comparable in regulatory compliance training categories and online self-paced delivery model.
• OSHA Education Center: Online OSHA Outreach Training (10/30-hour) and related compliance courses. Directly comparable as an online-delivery competitor in OSHA-adjacent occupational safety training.
• Hazwoper-OSHA Training (EnviroSafe): Specialist online provider of HazWoper and OSHA safety training courses. Directly comparable in environmental hazardous-materials compliance training, with similar online self-paced and webinar delivery formats.

Broad incumbents

• National Safety Council: Large, long-standing U.S. safety organization offering OSHA, first-aid, and workplace safety training across many verticals. Overlaps with TAI in occupational safety training but operates far more broadly than the asbestos/lead niche.
• Vector Solutions: Major compliance and workforce training platform (formerly Summit Training Source) with broad safety, HR, and operations course libraries. Overlaps with TAI on OSHA-style safety training but spans many industries beyond hazardous materials.
• Convergence Training: Industrial and safety training provider focused on manufacturing, utilities, and mining workforces. Comparable in safety training delivery to enterprise workforces, though broader than TAI's asbestos/lead specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=e1iHADVCd78
• Xx.com/TheAsbestosInst

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Asbestos Institute