The Importance of Having a Written Mold Remediation Plan
When you discover a large mold problem, your top priority is getting it remediated ASAP. In that haste, you may neglect to write out mold remediation plan. This blog post is intended to shed some light on the importance of having a written mold remediation plan when fixing a mold issue. This article will show how a remediation plan is both beneficial to the owner and the remediation contractor.
A Remediation Plan Helps an Owner Get Bids
When calling different contractors to resolve a mold issue, you will receive several different prices and different scopes of work. It is difficult to decide which company to choose from when the proposed work to be performed varies so drastically. Obtaining a remediation plan from a 3rd party can provide you with a report that narrows the scope of work by providing specifics on what needs to be done. The remediation plan can be submitted to contractors bidding on the job. You will notice that the quotes will be more similar when a written plan is submitted.
Conflict of Interest
It is highly recommended to have a 3rd party write the remediation plan. A 3rd party means a company that has no ties to the remediation contractor. You want a neutral company that would not financially benefit from altering the plan’s scope. With no financial ties to the contractor, there is no incentive for the 3rd party company to exaggerate the scope of work. If the same company is writing the remediation plan AND performing the work, the mold problems in the building may be exaggerated to unnecessarily expand the scope and associated fees.
A Remediation Plan Protects the Remediation Contractor
It is clear that having a remediation plan benefits the homeowner but it is also helpful to mold remediation contractors. Having a written plan by a 3rd party protects the remediation contractor from liability. If there are concerns about the quality of work performed, the contractor merely has to show that they were following a plan. This shifts the liability from the contractor to the consultant.
A Remediation Plan Is Required in Some Jurisdictions
While a remediation plan is not required in the state of Illinois, other states including New York and Texas do require a 3rd party remediation plan. This speaks volumes about how important a remediation plan is when remediating mold. If you are unsure if a remediation plan is required in your jurisdiction it may be better to err on the side of caution and opt to have one written out.
A Remediation Plan Sets the Standard
Without a remediation plan, there is no standard to which the work performed can be compared. A plan sets a standard of which the remediation contractor is held up to. This makes the quality of the work performed easily evaluated. Once the work is completed, the 3rd party consultant can then come back to perform clearance testing. Clearance testing is ensuring that the contractor followed the remediation plan successfully. When clear steps were written out prior to the remediation, it becomes very transparent if a plan was followed completely or if some steps were missed or completed unsatisfactorily. A good example of mold removal procedures can be found on the EPA website.
Conclusion
Having a mold remediation plan helps the client by getting more comparable bids, reigns in the scope of work by having a neutral 3rd party do an initial inspection, and it may even be required depending which state the client lives in. A remediation plan also benefits the contractor by providing him with specific standards and protocols that need to be followed and most importantly it protects the contractor from liability in case the quality of their work is questioned. There is a cost to having a 3rd Party, such as Indoor Science, write out a remediation plan, but the cost is well worth it. The hundreds of dollars you may spend on writing a plan may end up saving you thousands. If you need a written remediation plan, please do not hesitate to contact us.