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5 Realities You Must Consider Before Pursuing Mold Inspection Certification

Author: Environix Inc
by Environix Inc
Posted: Feb 19, 2016

1. Mold inspection certification is voluntary in most states. In all but a small handful of states, there are no regulations regarding mold inspections. This has created an industry with extreme variations in quality. Depending on which inspector you happen to call, you may hire someone with years of relevant experience, or you might end up hiring someone who simply took a 2 day class and received a bogus mold inspection certification. What does this mean? Don’t pick a mold inspection certification course because you want fancy certification. Pick a course because you genuinely want to understand the concepts required to become a proficient mold inspector.

2. Most mold inspection certification courses only teach laboratory based concepts. One of the most common questions you’ll receive if you pursue a career in the mold industry is "what is your educational background? Do you have a degree in microbiology?" It’s an understandable question. Mold would definitely fall under the category of microbiology. And because of this, most courses focus their training on microbiology. However, this type of training does not produce a skilled mold inspector. Why? Because the microbiology aspects of the inspection are performed by a 3rd party lab. So while it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the biology of mold growth, it is of minimal value in the field. Far more critical is the ability to understand the source of the excess moisture that caused the mold in the first place. This is why a building science and construction background is far more important than a microbiology degree.

  1. Some states don’t allow you to act as both a mold inspector and a mold remediation contractor. The theory is this: if the company who is identify the mold problem is also the one cleaning it up, it creates a conflict of interest. On the surface, this looks like a very sound argument. And several states have pursued this line of thinking and passed legislation eliminating this dual role. In reality, it isn’t this simple.
  2. Many of the most unscrupulous inspection and remediation companies are those who only practice in one field. And many of the companies with the most integrity are those who operate in both fields. If a company has lost their integrity, forcing them to operate only in one side of the field does not solve the problem. Additionally, it creates unintended issues. Because there are no widely agreed upon rules in mold remediation, two different inspectors will often draft completely different protocols for the exact same project. And of course, the remediation contractor will often disagree with the protocol set forth by the mold inspector. When a separate mold inspector is involved, he or she will often perform the clearance inspection as well. Because they are paid by the number of times they visit the jobsite, they have a vested interest in repeatedly failing a project.
  3. We should not simply conclude that separating out mold inspection vs. mold remediation is an inherently bad approach. In many cases, it can be helpful. But it does tell us that an absolute requirement against operating in both fields does little to solve the fundamental problem of poor industry standards.
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Author: Environix Inc

Environix Inc

Member since: Nov 17, 2015
Published articles: 5

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