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PLAN
THE REMEDIATION BEFORE STARTING WORK
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Remediation
Plan
Assess the size of the mold and
or moisture problem and the
type of damaged materials
before planning the remediation
work. Select a remediation
manager for medium or large
jobs (or small jobs requiring>
more than one person). The
remediation plan should include
steps to fix the water or moisture
problem, or the problem may
reoccur. The plan should cover
the use of appropriate Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) and
include steps to carefully
contain and remove moldy
building materials to avoid
spreading the mold. A
remediation plan may vary
greatly depending on the size
and complexity of the job, and
may require revision if
circumstances change or new
facts are discovered.
The remediation manager’s
highest priority must be to
protect the health and safety of the building
occupants and
remediators. It is also important to communicate
with building
occupants when mold problems are identified.
In some cases,
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Moisture Control
is the Key to Mold Control
especially those
involving large areas of contamination, the
remediation plan
may include temporary relocation of some or all of
the building
occupants. The decision to relocate occupants should
consider the
size and type of the area affected by mold growth, the
type and extent
of health effects reported by the occupants, the
potential health
risks that could be associated with debris, and the
amount of disruption
likely to be caused by remediation activities. If
possible, remediation
activities should be scheduled during off-hours
when building
occupants are less likely to be affected.
Remediators,
particularly those with health-related concerns, may
wish to check
with their doctors or health care professionals before
working on mold
remediation or investigating potentially moldy
areas. If you
have any doubts or questions, you should consult a
health professional
before beginning a remediation project.
HVAC System
Do not run the
HVAC system if you know or suspect that it is
contaminated
with mold. If you suspect that it may be contaminated
(it is part of
an identified moisture problem, for instance, or there
is
mold growth near
the intake to the system), consult EPA’s guide
Should You
Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?
before taking
further action (see Resources
List).
Hidden Mold
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In some
cases, indoor
mold growth may
not
be obvious. It is
possible that mold
may
be growing on hidden
surfaces, such as
the
back side of dry
wall,
wallpaper, or paneling,
the top of ceiling
tiles,
the underside of
carpets and pads,
etc.
Possible locations
of
hidden mold can
include pipe chases |
| and utility
tunnels (with leaking or condensing pipes), walls
behind
furniture (where
condensation forms), condensate drain pans inside
air handling units,
porous thermal or acoustic liners inside ductwork,
or roof materials
above ceiling tiles (due to roof leaks or insufficient
insulation). Some
building materials, such as dry wall with vinyl
wallpaper over it
or wood paneling, may act as vapor barriers,
trapping moisture
underneath their surfaces and thereby providing
a
moist environment
where mold can grow. You may suspect hidden
mold if a building
smells moldy, but you cannot see the source, or
if
you know there has
been water damage and building occupants are
reporting health
problems. Investigating hidden mold problems may
be difficult and
will require caution when the investigation involves
disturbing potential
sites of mold growth—make sure to use PPE. For
example, removal
of wallpaper can lead to a massive release of
spores
from mold growing
on the underside of the paper. If you believe
that
you may have a hidden
mold problem, you may want to consider
hiring an experienced
professional. If you discover hidden mold, you
should revise your
remediation plan to account for the total area
affected by mold
growth.
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| REMEDIATION
1. Fix the water
or humidity
problem. Complete
and carry
out repair
plan if appropriate.
Revise
and/or carry out
maintenance
plan if necessary.
Revise
remediation plan as
necessary,
if more damage is
discovered
during remediation.
See Mold
Remediation – Key
Steps (page
5) and Resources
List (page
29) for additional
information.
2. Continue
to communicate
with building
occupants, as
appropriate
to the situation. Be
sure to
address all concerns.
3. Completely
clean up mold
and dry
water-damaged areas.
Select
appropriate cleaning and drying methods for damaged/
contaminated
materials. Carefully contain and remove moldy
building
materials. Use appropriate Personal Protective
Equipment
(PPE).
Arrange for outside professional support if necessary.
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