Environmental Bankers Association Mold/Water Damage Protocols
Agenda Regulations / Industry Standards that govern Water/Mold Found Water/Mold now what? Qualifications of Consultants/ Labs Lending Stigma s when water/mold is identified 10 Things to look for 10 Pitfalls Resources Pricing
Regulations/ Industry Standards OSHA does not have any regulations in relationship to mold other than 29 CFR 1910.134 for Respiratory Protection (use of respirators) General Duty Clause? No it would be incredibly hard to prove that mold can cause Death or Serious Physical Harm to workers. Resources for OSHA at the end of the slide presentation Asbestos Testing is always required (not going to be discussed today) Lead Paint Testing is required in pre-1978 child (6yr and younger) occupied homes. (not going to be discussed today) Page 1
Industry Standards / Air Sampling American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Bioaerosols Assessment and Control Book American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)- The Facts About Mold All other standards refer back to these 2. (i.e. CDC, NIOSH, OSHA, EPA) What do they say? Inside mold spores should mimic outdoor mold spores based on species and common sense. (i.e. if there is 4 foot of snow on the ground then inside will be higher than outside). Other factors the area needs to be clean and free of visible mold. No musty odors, the area should be dry. Page 2
Industry Standards / Remediation 2012 NYC Guidelines EPA Mold remediation in schools and public buildings CDC Construction work in a healthcare environment OSHA Facts about mold. World Health Organization several articles Health Canada several articles Institute of Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) IICRC S500 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for Water Restoration IICRC S520 ANSI for Mold Remediation Page 3
Found Water/Mold Now What? There is a generalized process for mold/water extraction First we need to discuss what it is you found. Water has Categories per the IICRC S500 ANSI Standard Category 1 - Safe to drink and not get sick. Dry in place no remediation is necessary Category 2 If you drink it you may get sick. All porous materials get removed except carpet but the pad has to go Category 3 If you drink it you will get sick or worse All porous material get removed (I.e. not wood studs common misperception) Page 4
Found Water/Mold Now What? (Cont.) First we need to discuss what it is you found. Category Water Losses should follow the IICRC S500 ANSI Standard Is Post Testing needed for water intrusion events? Maybe depends on where it is. (I.e. Surgery, Schools, Day Care, Church) Places where you want to make sure nobody gets sick with contact such as infants crawling on the floor. Page 5
Found Water/Mold Now What? Mold has recommendations based on Quantities OSHA and NYC Guidelines state the following <10 sq. feet No containment Wear PPE minimal N95 Dust Mask Move occupants from the space Cover Surfaces Remediate Rebuild 10 sq. feet to 100 sq. feet Same as above but need to consult a professional Consultant / Contractor Need Full Containment PPE is upgraded >100 sq. feet Same as above need a Decontamination Room & Airlocks Do I air test? I would its cheap insurance. Page 6
Found Water/Mold Now What? What is the Goal of Remediation? To bring it back to pre-existing conditions Before you tear down containment what is the mold count? 100 spores, 100,000 spores, a million spores? To prevent the event from occurring again Causation and prevention What are you not trying to do? State that it is safe for human re-occupancy (what does that mean?) State that the area is safe (What is safe?) We are not medical professionals we are remediation consultants Page 7
Found Water/Mold Now What? All Standards indicate that the root source of the water event should be identified and fixed to prevent the event from occurring again. Who do you hire? Maybe you can do this in house? Skillset of the person is needed Maybe a General Contractor is needed? Skillset of the contractor is needed What if it s complicated? Hire a Forensic Construction Expert they can save you a lot of time and money Page 8
Advantages Hiring a Forensic Expert Forensic Experts reverse engineer the process using their forensically trained eye and years of experience to identify and fix problems. Technical Response to a Technical Issue (you wouldn t hire a construction worker to perform a root canal) The Opposing Side s Expert and your retained expert speak the same terminology so you can compare apples to apples instead of apples to oranges. Page 9
Qualification of Consultants / Labs Testing is not always needed nor warranted If mold is found do you test it? No unless you are concerned about occupant exposure issues (i.e. patients in hospitals, nursing homes, potential litigated cases, OSHA complaints) Post testing what type of testing is needed? Depends 99% of the time air testing will work just fine. Exceptions are Surgical Suites, Bone Marrow Transplant Wards, Cancer Wards, etc. Page 10
Qualification of Consultants / Labs (Cont.) Qualifications of the Consultant Years of experience is Key They should be accredited by a certification body that does 3 rd party board approved indoor environmental certifications (I.e. ABIH (for CIH s), ACAC (for all other certifications) There are not any other certifying bodies in the United States but these Verify they are who they say they are. It s a click away. Page 11
Qualification of Consultants / Labs Laboratories Must be accredited for the type of analysis the consultant is asking for If not huge consequences Verify they are who they say they are. It s a click away Why is this important? I do this all the time in litigated cases if I can discredit the consultant (he says he is certified but isn t) or uses a lab that says they are certified but isn t. I get the attorneys to ask the judge to dismiss the report / labs. Judges always rule in favor of dismissal. What is left? The visual inspection. Case Closed. It happens all the time. I save Insurance Carriers Millions of Dollars a year by discrediting the consultant and/or lab or both. Page 12
Leading Stigma s When Water/Mold is Identified In the lending industry there is a stigma that a tragic event occurred therefore the house should cost less than it does. I cannot agree with this statement at all here is why. When an event occurs and proper protocols are put in place to bring it back to pre-existing standards then why is there a stigma? Why? Because they use it as leverage. It s not leverage Example. If I walk in your home and am carrying a gallon of paint and trip and fall and paint flies everywhere I take blame for that and replace all your carpet, contents, etc. You get brand new carpet and furniture. How can that possibly be a bad thing? Page 13
Leading Stigma s When Water/Mold is Identified So utilizing proper remediation contractors and consultants Documenting what occurred and what happened is key Gives self assurance to future buyers that the it was resolved successful is elimination of this stigma. Providing the consultant reports or contractors scope of work will make any new buyer comfortable because it s a third party validating the work that was done. This Validation is Key to your Success. Page 14
10 Things to Look For 1. Accredited Certifications for Consultants and Labs 2. Contractors Licenses (may not always be necessary) 3. Honesty. They are not trying to inflate the project bigger than it is. 4. Pricing. Midway pricing is usually best always get 2 or more prices 5. Years of experience is key 6. Find a qualified causation expert 7. Make sure you follow the industry standard of care or regulatory requirements 8. If you can do it in house correctly then do it that way. 9. The consultant asks lots of questions and defines the scope and price prior to commencing work 10.They consultant samples for the right things. (why sample for mold when there is a pigeon infestation?) Page 15
10 Pitfalls 1. Some consultants will take air samples and surface samples? Why? Don t pay for surface samples. Doesn t have any validation. 2. Some consultants will use leaf blowers to stir up the air? Why? Inside should mimic outside are you leaf blowing outside? No. 3. Contractors like to encapsulate. Why pay to paint a perfectly clean surface. EPA says no. 4. Do you clean ductwork? EPA would say no. If you need to HEPA vacuum don t use chemicals. 5. <10 sq. feet of mold you can do it in house. Keep in mind that when you cut a 2 x2 section of mold on your side the back side could have 8 x10 of mold now the scope has increased. So use caution when opening walls up. 6. Watch for 1 page reports. They will get you in trouble every single time it goes legal. Page 16
10 Pitfalls (Cont.) 7. Always get a second opinion/estimate with large jobs. 8. Spore distribution should be in a magnitude of 10. for example 10 spores of bad stuff inside and 9 spores of bad stuff outside does not indicate a fail. 100 in 10 out does. 9. If medical advise is thrown into the report have them rewrite it. If they list all the bad things mold can do to you have them rewrite it. It only creates hype and hysteria where it is not needed. 10.Insurance. You can t sue someone who is not insured. They have nothing to lose but you do. Page 17
Mold Resources Resources (links) https://www.osha.gov/sltc/molds/ https://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib101003.html https://www.aiha.org/publications-andresources/topicsofinterest/hazards/pages/mold.aspx Mold Certified Labs http://apps.aiha.org/qms_aiha/public/pages/reports/publicscopevie w.aspx?programcode=38&version=2 Mold Certifying Organizations for Individuals www.acac.org www.abih.org Page 18
Pricing Pricing varies per state and size of project Things to consider Volume of work you are giving the consultant (if a lot they should reduce pricing) Quality of work a CIH will cost more than an Environmental Technician but a CIH may or may not be required so ask what skillset are you paying for. Simple post remediation jobs for consultants should be between $350-$800 depending on how many samples they take. (Remember air only) Asbestos and Lead Paint testing should be about the same price ranges Indoor Air Quality pricing varies with all consulting companies. Page 19
Any Questions?
MC Consultants Roy L. Dunn, CIH, CEICC, CMC Vice President, Sr. Scientist MC Consultants Environmental Services www.mcconsultants.com Phone: 623-691-6400 E-mail: roy.dunn@mcconsultants.com
Thank You