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 ITG FY03-4
5 June 2003
2-2
MEDICAL QUALIFICATIONS. Personnel performing remediation
activities must be medically qualified and capable to perform their duties and
wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
Certain individuals are at greater risk when assigned to perform
mold remediation activities. These individuals include but are not limited to those
employees with:
Immune suppression
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Sinusitis
Other chronic inflammatory lung diseases
Individuals with respiratory conditions, allergies or asthma
Persons with weakened immune systems (i.e. persons with HIV
infection, chemotherapy patients, organ/bone marrow transplant
recipients, persons with autoimmune diseases
2-3
TRAINING. Currently, no national training or certification standards
exist and references to training are general. For example, NYC Department of
Health (DOH) notes that building maintenance personnel who conduct
remediation should "receive training on proper clean up methods, personal
protection, and potential health hazards." NYC DOH indicates that training for
building maintenance personnel can be performed as part of a program to
comply with the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).
The hazard communication standard, however, addresses hazardous chemicals
in the workplace but does not offer guidance on the types of training needed for
handling mold or other biological agents.
For areas of heavier contamination, NYC DOH recommends that
personnel doing the remediation work be trained "in the handling of hazardous
materials and equipped with respiratory protection in accordance with the OSHA
respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134)." The training must include
information on possible hazards; effective strategies to protect building
occupants and remediation/response actions; and reminders to wear appropriate
PPE.
Regular building staff, with appropriate Mold Awareness Training,
may perform Level 1 responses actions.
Commands providing mold remediation services for Level 2 4
response actions must utilize the services of trained and certified asbestos and
lead workers or hazardous waste emergency responders. These trained
employees are knowledgeable in the abatement techniques utilized when
performing mold remediation. The servicing Safety and Health Office or local
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