New York State Article 32 of Labor Law went into effect on January 1, 2016, setting minimum work standards for mold projects and requiring mold assessment, remediation and abatement specialists to be licensed. No controls existed prior to Article 32, so some unscrupulous contractors took advantage of customers by providing inadequate mold related services at exorbitant fees, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
The New York State Department of Labor now requires licensing for all contractors providing mold-related services. The State has established specific training requirements and issues separate licenses based on three types of mold services:
- Mold Assessor
- Mold Remediation Contractor
- Mold Abatement Worker
In order to protect against fraud, Article 32 prohibits a licensed individual or contractor from performing both mold assessment and mold remediation services on the same property.
The following chart summarizes action steps for a typical mold project:
1- Customer hires a Licensed Mold Assessor to perform an inspection of a property with suspected mold issues. Samples may be collected during the inspection to confirm the presence of mold.
2- Mold Assessor prepares a Remediation Plan specific to the project based on observations and sampling results.
3- Mold Assessor provides Customer with a Remediation Plan for review before remediation begins.
4- Customer hires a Licensed Remediation Contractor to implement the Remediation Plan.
5- Remediation Contractor develops a Remediation Work Plan describing how the mold remediation project will be performed to meet the requirements set forth in the Mold Assessor’s Remediation Plan. Licensed Abatement Workers (usually employees of the Remediation Contractor) perform the work specified in the Remediation Work Plan.
6- Upon completion of abatement, Customer hires Licensed Mold Assessor (can be the same one hired for the initial Mold Assessment) to inspect the project. The Mold Assessor will either determine that remediation has been successfully completed and issue a clearance report, or recommend follow-up assessment or remediation as appropriate.
Walden Environmental Engineering is a NYSDOL Licensed Mold Assessor and provides a variety of services related to mold inspections and indoor air quality surveys. Call us at 516-624-7200 for a free consultation to discuss mold issues or any of the other environmental engineering services we provide.