American Society Of Safety Engineers Comment On Mold Bill

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American Society of Safety Engineers Comment on Mold Bill

U.S. Newswire

26 Aug 15:21

DES PLAINES, Ill., Aug. 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Incorporating certified

occupational safety, health and environmental

professionals; calling for the need for scientific research on the link

between mold and health; and, supporting a tax credit were

some of the suggestions the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) sent

recently to Rep. Conyers, Jr. on H.R. 5040, the

" United States Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act of 2002 " .

The bill, introduced in the House last June, calls for mandating

comprehensive research into mold growth, generating guidelines for

preventing indoor mold growth, establishing standards for removing mold when

it does grow, authorizing tax credits for inspection

and/or remediation of mold removal in public buildings, and much more.

" We commend you for addressing in legislation the rapidly growing national

concern over the health risks associated with

mold, " ASSE President Mark Hansen, PE, CSP, stated in his August 23 letter

to Rep. Conyers. " This bill is a significant, meaningful

first step in finding ways at the federal level to address the mold issue

and to provide a safety net of protections to those whose

health is compromised by it. "

However, Hansen continues, the members of ASSE are concerned that the

wording of the bill limits the type of professionals that can

perform the inspections, remediation and planning work to only industrial

hygienists when, in fact, a variety of occupational

safety, health and environmental professionals are highly qualified to

perform this work.

" Restricting the kinds of professionals who may address mold not only

overlooks most professionals that businesses and public

agencies now turn to in order to make buildings safe from environmental

threats such as mold, it would also keep the bill

from achieving its goal, " Hansen wrote.

Rather than requiring the promulgation of standards for specific safety and

health professions, ASSE recommends that the bill

instead should address requirements for education and training of those

involved in the recognition, evaluation and control of

mold-related problems.

ASSE applauds Rep. Conyers for including provisions in HR 5040 that would

provide antitrust protections for the development of

industry standards addressing mold-retardant building products. The letter

requests that he consider making such an incentive

applicable in general to all industry efforts aimed at establishing

standards that can help bring safer, healthier and environmentally

sound products to market.

ASSE also commended Rep. Conyers for including tax incentives for mold

inspection and remediation.

" ASSE has long called for tax incentives to encourage private sector

interests to invest in workplace safety, " Hansen said.

" Typically, investment in safety results in savings beyond saving lives and

reducing injuries. ASSE is confident that the same

outcome will result from this public investment. "

As for requiring standards for certification of mold testing labs as called

for in the bill, ASSE recommends that the

legislation recognize the already existing accreditation programs the

American National Standards Institute and the American

Industrial Hygiene Association have in place and are used in the private

sector.

ASSE notes a need for more research on mold. An August 2002 article titled

" Mold 101: An Overview for Safety, Health and

Environmental Professionals " that appeared in ASSE's Professional Safety

Journal says, " while the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial

Hygienists (ACGIH) currently offer guidelines for

determining mold risk, much of the information on the health risks of mold

is only anecdotal. " The article, which can be found at

http://www.asse.org, goes on to say " it is hoped that continued studies of

the relationship between airborne mold levels and health

effects will eventually move the information from a quasi-industry standard

to a full-fledged consensus standard and perhaps

ultimately, provide the basis for regulatory guidance. "

" The need for research that can determine the link between mold and health

far outweighs the need for specific action, " Hansen

wrote.

If a standard is to be established, ASSE urges Rep. Conyers to include the

guidelines already recommended by OSHA, ACGIH and other

organizations and develop one through a voluntary consensus process. It is

also important to include organizations that develop

national building construction standards and codes that address mold such as

the Building Official Code Administrators

International and the National Fire Protection Association.

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Founded in 1911, ASSE is the oldest and largest professional safety

organization and is dedicated to protecting people, property

and the environment. Its over 30,000 members manage, supervise, and consult

on safety, health and environmental issues in all

industries, government and education. For more information and a full copy

of the letter sent to Rep. Conyers visit ASSE's website

www.asse.org.

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/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

08/26 15:21

Contact: Diane Hurns of the American Society Of Safety Engineers,

847-768-3413

Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire