Ever since Dr. Michael Berry published his guide for the cleaning and restoration industry entitled: Protecting the Built Environment: Cleaning for Health(Tricomm 21st Press,” 1993), I have seen a shift in the way professional cleaners and restorers manage pollutants in the built environment. He encouraged our industry to learn environmental practices including containment, which is a preventative procedure that reduces impact on our respiratory system.
Soon after Dr. Berry’s publication was released, the IICRC published its first version of S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration in 1994. Containment procedures were included in the document which said “eliminating safety hazards is the technician’s first priority.” That containment process is to be followed by technicians determining further requirements for containment based on a particular job’s demands.