Asbestos jobs do not always start as such. Sometimes, mold in a home leads to bigger discoveries. Conducting mold remediation projects properly is difficult under the best of circumstances. The industry is generally guided by a standard of care rather than strict regulations. While that allows innovation and a multitude of technologies to be used, the current industry guidelines do not agree on universal endpoints to determine when a project has been properly completed. Given this reality for mold remediation, many investigators and contractors who specialize in fungal contamination mistakenly think they are not subject to any regulations. That is a dangerous misconception! Mold remediation professionals who only focus on mold in the structure put themselves at significant personal and legal risk when a project involves more than mold.
One of the worst aspects of having an entire industry operate under an ever evolving standard of care is that individuals working in the industry often forget that a large group of secondary regulations apply to mold remediation work. Contractors have responsibilities under OSHA and EPA regulations to develop and enforce safety programs related to personal protective equipment, respirators, chemicals, waste disposal, electrical equipment, fall protection, and a host of others. Those federal requirements are often supplemented by state and local rules, which also carry the force of law. Two areas where both mold remediation consultants and contractors seem to frequently get in trouble involve missing the regulatory requirements for dealing with asbestos and lead paint.