The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has been working on revising the ANSI/IICRC S500-2006 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration. Substantive changes made to the draft Standard since the fourth public review in March/April 2015 are currently available for a fifth round of public review and comment from June 26 through July 26, 2015.

ANSI/IICRC S500 provides a specific set of practical standards for water damage restoration. It does not provide comprehensive water damage restoration procedures; rather, it outlines the foundation for basic principles of proper restoration practices. ANSI/IICRC S500 does not include exhaustive performance characteristics or standards for the manufacture or installation of structural components, materials and contents (personal property).

According to S500 Chairman Mickey Lee, the primary revisions made in the Standard since the last public review entail two sections:

A.2 Purpose: This section discusses professional judgment and specifically the process of documenting a deviation from the standard of care (i.e. “shall” or “should”). Following a number of good comments from public reviewers during the previous round, the Consensus Body has  (1) removed any reference to “scope or price” and (2) removed the requirement to gain “agreement in writing” prior to the deviation. These changes made on page 1, lines 22-27 of the substantive change document, should facilitate the project without delays.

10.7.2 Evaluating Building Materials and Assemblies: This section discusses the process of evaluating building materials and assemblies for the purpose of determining whether attempts to restore them should be made. The third paragraph of the section beginning on page 1, line 42 and continuing on to page 2, line 4, addresses the situation where an attempt to restore is made (per agreement with MIPs) on a material or assembly that is “generally unrestorable.” Following several comments from public reviewers, the Consensus Body has changed the guidance from “…should be an agreement… “ to “…it is recommended there be an understanding…” 

Again, the S500 substantive changes document is available from June 26 – July 26, 2015 for review and comment as part of the 30-day fifth public review period. All comments must be submitted completely using the Comment Form. To access the draft Standard and Comment Form, visit http://iicrc.org/standards/iicrc-s500/. All comments must be submitted to IICRC Standards Director Mili Washington at mili@iicrc.org no later than July 26, 2015.

For more information on other certification programs and standards offered by the IICRC, visit www.iicrc.org. To purchase a copy of the IICRC standards, please visit www.iicrc.org/store or call the IICRC headquarters at 775-553-5458.