September 4, 2002—The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently sent comments to Rep. John Conyers, Jr. regarding proposed legislation, H.R. 5040, the “United States Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act of 2002”. The letter called for the incorporation of certified occupational safety, health and environmental professionals as well as the need for scientific research on the link between mold and health; and a tax credit.
The bill, introduced in the House last June, calls for mandating comprehensive research into mold growth, generating guidelines for preventing indoor mold growth, establishing standards for removing mold when it does grow, authorizing tax credits for inspection and/or remediation of mold removal in public buildings.
ASSE President Mark Hansen stated that the members of ASSE are concerned that the wording of the bill limits the type of professionals that can perform the inspections, remediation and planning work to only industrial hygienists when, according to ASSE, a variety of occupational safety, health and environmental professionals are highly qualified to perform this work.
“Restricting the kinds of professionals who may address mold not only overlooks most professionals that businesses and public agencies now turn to in order to make buildings safe from environmental threats such as mold, it would also keep the bill from achieving its goal,” Hansen wrote.
Rather than requiring the promulgation of standards for specific safety and health professions, ASSE recommends that the bill instead should address requirements for education and training of those involved in the recognition, evaluation and control of mold-related problems.
ASSE also commended Rep. Conyers for including tax incentives for mold inspection and remediation.
As for requiring standards for certification of mold testing labs as called for in the bill, ASSE recommends that the legislation recognize the already existing accreditation programs the American National Standards Institute and the American Industrial Hygiene Association have in place and are used in the private sector.
If a standard is to be established, ASSE urges Rep. Conyers to include the guidelines already recommended by OSHA, ACGIH and other organizations and develop one through a voluntary consensus process.
For more information and a full copy of the letter sent to Rep. Conyers visit ASSE.
