Hire a Professional - Excerpted from Mold:
What  Every Professional Real Estate Manager Needs to Know

by Lee Wasserman, 2004. Reprinted with permission from the Institute of Real Estate Management

There are several important benefits to hiring professional mold-remediation help. First and foremost, because of the litigious nature of environmental issues, most of my clients want to make sure that I have the proper form of insurance coverage, as well as the ability to name them as an additional insured (that is, if I make a mistake, the client is covered under my insurance). I should warn you that, at this time, most insurance underwriters are either not providing mold-remediation coverage to professional environmental firms, or frequently limiting coverage to several hundred thousand dollars. Make sure that if you do retain the services of a third-party entity, they have the proper insurance – and can prove it! Proper mold insurance, as of the date of this writing, has become very expensive because of the enormous volume of litigation. Accordingly, an increasing number of remediation firms either do not have the proper coverage or are obtaining policies with mold-coverage limitations. 

Mold remediation companies will typically feature some form of formal training. Although there is certainly no formal regulatory training curricula, several entities and associations have created formal mold-training programs. One such association is the American Indoor Air Quality Council (AmIAQ), which has established several mold programs including: 

Upon passing a course proficiency exam, students can apply to AmIAQ to become board certified in their respective mold discipline. Therefore, in addition to having formal training in the proper mold-remediation procedures (and health and safety-related concerns), such individuals also have formal certification from a third-party training provider, which typically documents a formal level of professional competence that will typically satisfy insurance companies, lenders, and most importantly, your property’s occupants. 

Many mold-remediation firms have their origin and roots in other environmental remediation activities, such as asbestos and lead abatement, fire restoration, and/or basement waterproofing and should be experienced in dealing with many of the applications used during a mold-remediation project, including the following: 

Additionally, qualified mold-remediation entities already have all the equipment, supplies, and contacts needed to perform a thorough, safe, and effective mold-remediation project. Whether the project is a two-by-ten foot area or a 50,000 square foot project, the firm should have the equipment and manpower needed, or know how to obtain them. 

Another way of assessing whether it is appropriate to use trained professionals or your own staff is to consider the size of the potential mold remediation. If you want to use the latter method, it is important to remember that it is not always easy to see and delineate the complete extent of mold growth from the interior side of a room. Frequently, the growth can be much larger on the non-visible side of the substrate.  

The diagramed chart on the following page is a compilation of information from the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, the Bureau of Environmental & Occupational Disease Epidemiology, and the Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments to assist you in making decisions about when you should use your own staff, or instead hire outside professionals. The chart focuses on affected area size, level of PPE, training and containment recommendations and can serve as a guide to help you assess whether you and your staff would be comfortable performing varying degrees of mold/microbial remediation.  

Level I: Small Isolated Areas (10 sq. ft or less) 

Remediation can be conducted by regular building maintenance staff. Such persons should receive training. 

Respiratory protection in accordance with the OSHA respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134), is recommended. Gloves and eye protection should be worn. 

The work area should be unoccupied. Vacating people from spaces adjacent to the work area is not necessary but is recommended in the presence of persons recovering from recent surgery, immune suppressed people, or people with chronic inflammatory lung disease.

Containment of the work area is not necessary. 

Dust suppression methods, such as misting surfaces prior to remediation, are recommended.

Level II: Mid-Sized Isolated Areas (10-30 sq. ft)

Remediation can be conducted by regular building maintenance staff. Such persons should receive training.  

Respiratory protection in accordance with the OSHA respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134), is recommended. Gloves and eye protection should be worn. 

The work area should be unoccupied. Vacating people from spaces adjacent to the work area is not necessary but is recommended in the presence of persons recovering from recent surgery, immune suppressed people, or people with chronic inflammatory lung disease.

The work area should be covered with plastic sheet(s) and sealed with tape before remediation, to contain dust/debris. 

Dust suppression methods, such as misting surfaces prior to remediation, are recommended. 

Level III: Large Isolated Areas (30-100 sq. ft) 

Remediation conducted by personnel trained in the handling of hazardous materials. 

Respiratory protection, (e.g., N95 disposable respirator), in accordance with the OSHA respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134), is recommended. Gloves and eye protection should be worn. 

The work area and areas directly adjacent should be unoccupied. 

The work area and areas directly adjacent should be covered with a plastic sheet(s) and taped before remediation, to contain dust/debris. 

Dust suppression methods, such as misting surfaces prior to remediation, are recommended. 

Level IV: Extensive Contamination (greater than 100 sq. ft) 

Remediation conducted by personnel trained in the handling of hazardous materials equipped with: 

The work area should be unoccupied. Vacating people from spaces adjacent to the work area is not necessary but is recommended in the presence of persons recovering from recent surgery, immune suppressed people, or people with chronic inflammatory lung disease.

Containment of the affected area:

The contaminated area and decontamination room should be HEPA vacuumed and cleaned with a damp cloth and/or mop with a detergent solution and be visibly clean prior to the removal of isolation barriers.