March 21, 2003—Bob Allen, President of the International Association of Mold Remediation Specialists, recently addressed the Texas Senate to support SB 129, a bill that would require licensing of mold remediators and consultants.
IAMRS has published the first standards in the mold industry to address the qualifications of remediators, as well as procedures for remediation. The IAMRS Mold Remediation Practices Guide addresses such issues as employee safety, appropriate liability insurance coverage, training, ethics, and recordkeeping.
“The first key to keeping down costs is out of the contractors control, and that is—water intrusions must be reported quickly by the insured, and responded to immediately and appropriately by the insurer,” said Allen.
“The second key is to provide a system of regulation which would allow consumers to hire contractors with the assurance that those contractors have the procedures, tools, training, and insurance to get the job done correctly the first time. In the current climate, consumers and insurers report that is not uncommon to need to hire two, three, or even four contractors before finally getting the job done right.”
Allen described five problems that currently exists in the mold remediation industry, and explained how licensing can eradicate much of the potential for harm:
- The term “certification” is meaningless in an unregulated climate. The disparity between certification programs in this state is wide, and course material for training is inconsistent.
In addition, the content of current certification courses and exams is based on an assortment of sources from various published guidelines to hearsay and opinions. Many of these courses are designed and implemented by instructors who have no actual remediation experience, but teach from an entirely theoretical perspective, potentially dangerous in an industry so closely involved with the personal health and property of consumers.
Solution: Licensing of remediators will eliminate the disparity in training and examination, insuring that all remediators are trained according to one consistent standard, and are tested on their knowledge and ability to perform to this standard.
- Pre-requisites for related education and experience are either non-existent or inadequately policed. Most, if not all, remediators currently under indictment in this state for consumer and insurance fraud, were officially “certified” by a large non-profit organization.
Solution: Regulation of the industry would require a background check of companies and individuals applying for licenses.
- A vast number of certified remediators are currently operating without appropriate liability insurance, leaving consumers and their insurance companies holding the financial bag when remediations go wrong. Occurrence-based commercial general liability/environmental insurance for mold remediation is relatively expensive, and too many remediators are working without it, simply because they do not wish to spend the necessary money.
Solution: In order to obtain a license, proof of appropriate liability insurance would be required, protecting the consumer in the case of accident, negligence, or willful wrongdoing.
- Remediators are engaged in conflicts of interest. Many certified remediators are also conducting pre- and post-remedial testing, putting them in the position of potentially creating work for themselves and then verifying the quality of their own work. This is a potentially dangerous and costly conflict of interests, especially in an industry where there is no regulation of testing methods or interpretation of data.
Solution: Licenses would be awarded to a company for either mold remediation or mold consultingnot both.
- Remediators are not properly protecting the health of their workers. Mold is known as a potential irritant, allergen, and pathogen. Its toxic effects are questioned, but the long-term effects of working daily around large concentrations of mold and its by-products are not known. Therefore certain precautions must be taken to protect the health and safety of workers.
Solution: Under regulation, workers would be consistently supplied with proper personal protective equipment and training. In addition, workers would be informed in their native language of the potential health hazards of working with mold.
For more information, contact IAMRS.
