If attendees of the recent "Mold Remediation Worker and Supervisor" course, presented by MidAtlantic Environmental Hygiene Resource Center (MEHRC), remember one thing from their training, it will be this mantra: "HEPA-Wipe-HEPA."

But they'll probably remember a lot more than that since mold is what's hot in the IAQ business these days and contractors are squeezing into full classes to learn the latest procedures and understand the contaminants. IE Connections attended MEHRC's first mold remediation training course in Philadelphia July 26-28. More than 25 professionals attended, over half of whom were fire and water restoration contractors including many members of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration.

Other participants were from the industrial hygiene industry and other related fields, which provided excellent networking opportunities. A number of the attendees were from Texas, where mold remediation workers are in great demand. One Texas attendee called the city of Corpus Christi the "mold capitol of the world."

More On The Way

More than 175 professionals will also attend this month's symposium on "Assessment, Remediation & Prevention of Mold Growth in Buildings," also presented by MEHRC. It's one of the many conferences and training courses that have been playing to sell-out crowds across the nation. Organizers often can't keep up with the demand. ASHRAE is also stepping into the ring in 2001 with a mold and health effects conference of its own, and there are currently about more than five national training programs that focus on mold evaluation and remediation.

Conferences and seminars are good, but there's often no substitute for donning safety equipment and putting the material you just learned into practice through hands-on exercises, such as clean-up procedures and building decontamination units. MEHRC's program, targeted at the professional restorer crossing over into the emerging field of mold remediation, does just that. Director Susan T. Smith said the response to the first mold course was "overwhelming" and she had to turn away several interested attendees.

Another training class is scheduled for Nov. 28-30 in Philadelphia to handle the demand. She expects another sellout, so interested individuals should register early by calling (215) 387-4096.

The MEHRC training course is for contractors and workers who will carry out remediation of mold contaminated buildings and includes an extensive series of hands-on workshops on safety and work practices. Key topics covered include: why mold requires a special approach, protecting workers, carrying out the remediation, job wrap-up and risk management. Hands-on activities include selecting, donning and doffing PPE including fit testing and each attendee takes home a half face respirator and HEPA cartridges. Other hands-on activities include erecting containment, installing critical barriers, decontamination procedures, bagging of waste, use of specialized equipment, breakdown of a regulated area and final cleanup in preparation for job clearance by a third party.

Lively Training

Course facilitators- Mike McGuinness, CIH, CET, CIAQP; Davidge Warfield, CMH, CEI; and Mac Pearce, MPH- kept the class rules simple (there were no rules), and made the course outline secondary to attendee questions and case studies.

The course extensively covered safety issues and personal protection equipment, understanding project specs from both the environmental consultant and contractor's perspectives, and remediation method. And the facilitators answered such questions as "Do environmental consultants and industrial hygienists know anything?", "What have we learned from asbestos and lead projects that will help us with mold projects?", and "What is the contractor responsible for and who is he responsible to?"

The highlight of the course was attendees taking all course material and applying it in a basement workspace at the University Science Center, which houses MEHRC. Attendees built containment areas and a two-stage decontamination unit, and learned how to perform visual inspections and moisture analysis.

On the last day of the course, attendees received a detailed presentation of reference resources they should use in their mold work, namely the New York City Mold Remediation Guidelines, OSHA regulations, ACGIH's book Bioaerosols: Assessment and Control and the IICRC Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration (S-500).

Special attendees at MEHRC's mold course were Cliff Zlotnik, Pete Consigli, Joe Lstiburek, and Peter Sierck- all MEHRC instructors of other training classes. They were to provide observations and evaluations on the course, and they also served as valuable instructors over the three-day class by answering attendee questions and bringing up topics and their own case studies.