How to Protect Workers from Mold

[Guest guest]

06/06/2005

How to Protect Workers from Mold

http://www.safetynext.com/display.cfm/id/98790

If you are concerned about your employees being exposed to mold

through maintenance and remediation work, there are now some

training guidelines for you to follow to protect them. In the

absence of federal regulations and with the population of mold-

exposed workers growing, the National Institute of Environmental

Health Sciences (NIEHS) developed a set of training guidelines.

Guidelines for the Protection and Training of Workers Engaged in

Maintenance and Remediation Work Associated with Mold is the

outgrowth of two NIEHS-sponsored workshops aimed at developing

experienced-based guidelines for protecting and training mold hazard

assessors, mold remediation workers, and workers exposed to mold in

the course of building maintenance. NIEHS notes that the guidance

will need to be revised and approved as the understanding of mold

issues grows.

Professionals developing training based on this guidance are urged

by NIEHS to follow basic principles that include:

Fungal damage in buildings needs to be removed and the underlying

cause fixed.

Based on existing data, it is not feasible to set an airborne

exposure limit for mold as is done with other airborne contaminants.

Respiratory protection and training should be provided. NIOSH-

approved N-95 disposable respirators should be the minimum level of

respiratory protection provided.

Personal protection should be based on specific tasks that increase

mold exposure, not on measured exposure levels.

Adult education principles are critical in the design of any

training for workers.

Training courses should be designed for workers who have no mold

background nor current asbestos or lead certification.

Removing mold from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)

systems is beyond the scope of a basic mold remediation course.

Workers who engage in that work should take a separate course in

HVAC work. However, general knowledge of HVAC operations should be

included in a basic course.

There exists a gradation in mold exposure potential across work

categories defined by project size, work practice, and duration

variables.

NIEHS cautions that these guidelines are not intended as a precursor

to government regulations on mold. Regulations are not forthcoming

because dose-response and health-effects data for any regulatory

effort will not be available in the foreseeable future.