| (a) Scope. These general work practices are minimum
requirements and do not constitute complete or sufficient specifications
for mold assessment. More detailed requirements developed by an assessment
consultant for a mold assessment or for a particular mold remediation
project shall take precedence over the provisions of this section.
(b) Purpose. The purpose of a mold assessment is to
determine the source(s), location(s), and extent of mold growth in
a building, to determine the condition(s) that caused the mold growth,
and to enable the assessment consultant to prepare a mold remediation
protocol.
(c) Personal protective equipment for assessors. If
an assessment consultant or company determines that personal protective
equipment (PPE) should be used during a mold assessment project, the
assessment consultant or company shall ensure that all individuals
who engage in assessment activities and who will be, or are anticipated
to be, exposed to mold are provided with, fit tested for, and trained
on the appropriate use and care of the specified PPE. The assessment
consultant or company must document successful completion of the training
before the individuals perform regulated activities.
(d) Sampling and data collection. If samples for laboratory
analysis are collected during the assessment:
(1) sampling must be performed according to nationally
accepted methods;
(2) preservation methods shall be implemented for all
samples where necessary;
(3) proper sample documentation, including the sampling
method, the sample identification code, each location and material
sampled, the date collected, the name of the person who collected
the samples, and the project name or number must be recorded for each
sample;
(4) proper chain of custody procedures must be used;
and
(5) samples must be analyzed by a laboratory licensed
under §78.62.
(e) Mold remediation protocol. An assessment consultant
shall prepare a mold remediation protocol that is specific to each
remediation project and provide the protocol to the client at least
one calendar day before remediation activities begin. The mold remediation
protocol must specify:
(1) the rooms or areas where the work will be performed;
(2) the estimated quantities of materials to be cleaned
or removed;
(3) the methods to be used for each type of remediation
in each type of area;
(4) the PPE to be used by remediators. A minimum of
an N-95 respirator is recommended during mold-related activities when
mold growth could or would be disturbed. Using professional judgment,
a consultant may specify additional or more protective PPE if he or
she determines that it is warranted;
(5) the proposed types of containment, as that term
is defined in §78.10(9) and as described in subsection (g), to
be used during the project in each type of area; and
(6) the proposed clearance procedures and criteria,
as described in subsection (i), for each type of remediation in each
type of area.
(f) Building occupants. A mold assessment consultant
shall consider whether to recommend to a client that, before remediation
begins, the client should inform building occupants of mold-related
activities that will disturb or will have the potential to disturb
areas of mold contamination.
(g) Containment requirements. Containment must be specified
in a mold remediation protocol when the mold contamination affects
a total surface area of 25 contiguous square feet or more for the
project.
(1) Containment is not required if only persons who
are licensed or registered under this chapter occupy the building
in which the remediation takes place at any time between the start-date
and stop-date for the project as specified on the notification required
under §78.110.
(2) The containment specified in the remediation protocol
must prevent the spread of mold to areas of the building outside the
containment under normal conditions of use.
(3) If walk-in containment is used, supply and return
air vents must be blocked, and air pressure within the walk-in containment
must be lower than the pressure in building areas adjacent to the
containment.
(A) Operation of equipment to recirculate air inside
of containment without maintaining negative air pressure may be conducted
when the specific conditions, phases, and time periods during which
it may or must occur are specified in the mold remediation protocol
before commencing this use of equipment.
(B) Operation of equipment to recirculate air inside
of containment without maintaining negative air pressure is prohibited
during periods of active mold remediation activity.
(h) Disinfectants, biocides and antimicrobial coatings.
An assessment consultant who indicates in a remediation protocol that
a disinfectant, biocide, or antimicrobial coating will be used on
a mold remediation project shall indicate a specific product or brand
only if it is registered by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) for the intended use and if the use is consistent with
the manufacturer's labeling instructions. A decision by an assessment
consultant to use such products must take into account the potential
for occupant sensitivities and possible adverse reactions to chemicals
that have the potential to be off-gassed from surfaces coated with
such products.
(i) Clearance procedures and criteria. In the remediation
protocol for the project, the assessment consultant shall specify:
(1) at least one nationally recognized analytical method
for use within each remediated area in order to determine whether
the mold contamination identified for the project has been remediated
as outlined in the remediation protocol;
(2) the criteria to be used for evaluating analytical
results to determine whether the remediation project passes clearance;
(3) that post-remediation assessment shall be conducted
while walk-in containment is in place, if walk-in containment is specified
for the project; and
(4) the procedures to be used in determining whether
the underlying cause of the mold identified for the project has been
remediated so that it is reasonably certain that the mold will not
return from that same cause.
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