Inspection of Homes of Workers Who Allege Mold Exposure

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> Inspection of Homes of Workers Who Allege Mold Exposure

> Sixty-five Florida corrections officers filed workers compensation

claims

> for injuries from frequent workplace exposure to toxic molds. Their

employer

> requested the judge to order an inspection of the workers' homes by a

> certified industrial hygienist to collect air and dust samples,

observe

> ventilation systems, and take photographs. Each inspection would take

about

> five hours. The officers argued that the inspection would invade their

> privacy and was unnecessary and irrelevant to disputed issues. The

trial

> judge held that the existence of toxic molds and other substances in

the

> officers' homes was relevant to the question whether the injuries had

arisen

> out of their employment. A Florida appellate court approved the

inspections

> and held that they had no privacy or confidentiality rights in air and

dust

> samples from their homes, especially when balanced against the need to

> decide whether the homes were a source of the injuries. Hauser v.

Volusia

> County Dep't of Corrections, No.1D03-4550 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. May 10,

> 2004).