Air Date: 1-22-2016| Episode: 398
Two of the most important disaster restoration industry standards are the IICRC S520 Professional Mold Remediation Standard and Reference Guide and the S500 Professional Water Damage Restoration Standard and Reference Guide…
Full Description:
Two of the most important disaster restoration industry standards are the IICRC S520 Professional Mold Remediation Standard and Reference Guide and the S500 Professional Water Damage Restoration Standard and Reference Guide. Both documents were recently revised and this week we are going to discuss the revisions with the S520 Consensus Body Chairman Jim Pearson. Mr. Pearson is a Certified Mechanical Hygienist and the President and C.E.O. of Mold Inspection Services, Inc. He is also the co-owner of Americlean Corporation, a full-service disaster restoration business operating in Billings, Montana for the past 35 years. Jim is the Chairman of the Consensus Body responsible for publishing the IICRC S520 Standard & Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation. A published author, industry speaker and Past Shareholder Representative to the IICRC, Jim is the Chairman of the Board of the IICRCA and a past officer and Director of the Restoration Industry Association. Jim is also a decorated Viet Nam veteran who has been blessed with seven grandchildren. Mr. Pearson has also continues to perform in a 4-piece country and rock and roll band as he has for the past 30 years. Stream IAQ Radio live at noon or download the show later to LEARN MORE!
Z-Man’s Blog:
Update on IICRC S-520 standard with Jim Pearson, CMH
Jim Pearson is a Certified Mechanical Hygienist and President and CEO of Mold Inspection Services, Inc. and co-owner of Americlean Corporation, a full service disaster restoration business in Billings, Montana, Jim is Chairman of the Consensus Body publishing the IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation and the R520 Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation.
Jim began working on industry standards in 2002-2003 when he was ASCR’s representative (now RIA) working on IICRC’s S520 Mold Standard. That was a turbulent time when special interests advocated the position that an IEP was required on mold remediation projects of all sizes. Jim took over chairmanship of the committee from the late Bob Baker.
Nuggets mined from today’s broadcast:
Standards identify procedures & materials, are accepted by industry and protect the public. Standards are a guide for “doing things the right way”. Standards are more or less self-regulating.
IICRC standards are “procedural standards” based on reliable principles. IICRC standards are not intended to be: “best practice standards” nor “state of the art standards”. IICRC standards are not: instruction guides. IICRC standards aren’t mandated by regulatory law,
“Standard of care” to be: practices that are common to reasonably prudent members of the trade who are recognized in the industry as qualified and competent. IICRC S520 represents the way work should be performed by qualified and competent contractors.
The Reference Guide is to be used in tandem with the Standard. The standard is the “executive summary” of the Reference Guide.
IICRC previously attained and subsequently lost ANSI accreditation when a routine audit found procedural errors. The latest S520 was produced under the scrutiny of the American National Standards Institute process. ANSI oversees the standards writing process not the validity of the information.
“The IICRC S520 standard has a personality.”
The IICRC standard includes language that allows the contractor discretion for prudent decision making.
Opined that IICRC standards are more industry responsive than are ASHRAE standards.
Throughout the IICRC documents, the terms “shall,” “should,” and “recommend(ed)” are used to compare and contrast the different levels of importance attached to certain practices and procedures”. In contrast, ASHRAE Standards are more bureaucratic because they are written to become adopted as part of codes. ASHRAE standards only have one trigger word, “shall”.
From the IICRC website:
“ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard and IICRC R520 Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation IICRC has published a newly revised ANSI-approved ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation and IICRC R520 Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation (3rd edition, 2015). To purchase the ANSI/IICRC S520 and IICRC R520- 2015 in print, PDF, e-pub, or for subscription access, visit the IICRC webstore.
The ANSI/IICRC S520 is a procedural standard for the remediation of mold damaged structures and contents.
The ANSI/IICRC S520 is based on reliable remediation and restoration principles, research and practical experience, and attempts to combine essential academic principles with practical elements of water damage restoration for technicians facing “real-life” mold remediation challenges. The S520 and R520 are written for use by those involved in the mold remediation industry, and is the result of collaboration among microbiologists and other scientists, public health professionals, industrial hygienists, remediation contractors, restoration service companies, cleaning and restoration training schools, trade associations that service the professional restoration industry, allied trade-persons and others with related professional and practical experience.
ANSI/IICRC S520-2015 Standard and IICRC R520 Reference Guide is published as two separate documents: the standard itself and a supplementary reference guide. The procedural standard is supported by the reference guide. The intent is to use the principles outlined in the reference guide as a tool to better understand and apply the standard itself. However, the reference guide is not considered part of this standard.” Source: http://www.iicrc.org/standards/iicrc-s520/
The revised S520 has more global harmonization of measurements.
More emphasis on negative pressure enclosures and monitoring thereof in healthcare and other sensitive situations.
Insurance broker and consultant, Dave Dybdahl drew attention to risk management vulnerabilities in remediation contractor insurance coverage.
Jim opined that mold is ubiquitous and asbestos is not, so mold remediation procedures need not be as stringent as asbestos abatement.
Comments on S-500
Inspection and monitoring section, now reflects the sequence of the steps actually taken on the project
Revision and clarification of “Classes of Water” based on evaporation.
Controlling airflow, amount of wet affected area allows contractors to do what is best for their clients.
The amount of wet materials determines the recommended equipment requirement.
Global Watch Dog, Pete Consigli’s comments:
Suggested that the IICRC standards writing process could be improved if it allowed for and published dissenting viewpoints often referred to as a minority opinion
Consensus means everyone is heard, not that everyone is in agreement.
Pete would like to see the industry consider moving towards performance based standards which allows for more flexibility and innovative approaches.
Jim Pearson’s closing comments:
For more specific information on the S500 & S520 standards, check out recent articles in the Journal of Cleaning, Restoration & Inspection by Consensus Chairman Mickey Lee and Jim Pearson.
IICRC standards are available by yearly electronic subscription. Standards subscription website located at http://publications.iicrc.org
Today’s Music: “We’re Gonna Move” by Elvis Presley YouTube
Z-Man signing off
