Posts Tagged ‘certification’

Earthquake Doesn’t Stop Training

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

Abita Springs, LA

NORMI, the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors, conducted its first Virginia Mold Licensing class in Alexandria last week between an earthquake and impending Hurricane Irene. The successful training provided three days of mold training for professionals who were interested in being trained as Mold Inspectors and Mold Remediator Supervisors which include a curriculum sponsored by NORMI, a Virginia Board-Approved training provider. This training included 24 hours of training centered on the techniques of assessment and remediation including hands-on training, lectures, and the specifics of mold, its helath effects and mold management for removal.

“We started the week with a thundering earthquake and finished with flight to prepare for the impending hurricane,” reported Doug Hoffman, Executive Director of NORMI. “Amidst the excitement we provided excellent mold training from four highly experienced and dedicated trainers who converged on Alexandra, PA from Florida, South Carolina, New Jersey and Louisiana. All in all we were impressed with the dedication and commitment of these mold professionals who came and stayed for the express purpose of getting the training they need to comply with the Virginia Mold Licensing law. We will be in Pennsylvania next week and anticipate another great group of guys who want to learn better how to practice their craft.”

For more information on classes designed specifically to meet the Virginia Mold Licensing Law contact Best Training School at 888.856.4803 or view the easy-to-understand mold training video for more information. Classes are being conducted in Virginia and other states. The next class will be held in Pennsylvania, PA at the Schapers Supply store. For information on NORMI, contact 877.251.2296 or email support@normi.org. Facilities Maintenance Directors, Home Inspectors, General Contractors and other professionals who deal with toxic mold removal should consider taking this course to understand the correct standards that should be utilized to remove toxic mold from indoor environments.

Window World to pay $40,000 for Lead-Based Paint Violations

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

Window World of St. Louis Inc. has agreed to pay a $19,529 civil penalty to the United States to settle allegations that it failed to notify owners and occupants of at least 20 St. Louis-area residential properties built before 1978 of lead-based paint risks prior to performing renovation work at those locations.

The window replacement company, located in Maryland Heights, was legally required to provide owners and residents of the properties with a regulator-approved lead hazard information pamphlet before starting renovations at the properties, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday.

The regulation is intended to protect owners and occupants of residential properties, child-care facilities and schools built before 1978 from health risks associated with lead-based paint, EPA officials said.

As part of its settlement with EPA, and in addition to paying the $19,529 civil penalty, Window World of St. Louis also has agreed to spend an estimated $20,048 to replace a total of 73 old windows contaminated with lead paint at three group homes operated by the nonprofit social services organization Youth in Need. Those facilities are located at 1420 N. Third St., 516 Jefferson St. and 529 Jefferson St. in St. Charles, Mo.

Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the United States in 1978. Most homes built before 1978 contain some amount of lead-based paint, and subsequent renovation activity of such properties can cause occupants to be exposed to dust, chips and debris that contain lead.

REPRINTED FROM: St. Louis Business Journal
Date: Thursday, March 31, 2011, 11:27am CDT – Last Modified: Thursday, March 31, 2011, 11:46am CDT

Lead RRP Class Scheduled for Pennsylvania

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

Abita Springs, LA

The new EPA Regulations go into effect January 1, 2011 when all contractors, remodelers, inspectors or other professionals who work on pre-1978 homes must be trained and certified in lead inspection and removal. Non-compliance could result in a fine of up to $37,500 by the EPA.

In an effort to help expedite the training process, LaVerne Scheetz, Principal Course Instructor for the NORMI/EPA Lead RRP program has been scheduled for a class in Harleysville, PA on Friday, December 10, 2010. This class meets all the EPA regulations and offers a dual certification which includes the EPA and NORMI certification for Lead RRP.

“As an approved training provider”, said Doug Hoffman, Executive Director of NORMI, the National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors, “we have been moving across the country providing this training to construction professionals. Our intention is to continue teaching this program and the subsequent refresher courses so that no professional will be ‘caught’ in non-compliance. The public needs to know about this requirement and it looks like the EPA is relying on the trained professional to pass along the proper information.”

LaVerne Scheetz was certified by NORMI as a NORMI/EPA Lead RRP Principal Course Instructor in August of this year and has taught in Pennsylvania and Florida. Her credentials make her highly qualified to conduct this course and she makes the otherwise dull course interesting and relevant.

For more information on NORMI, please contact them at support@normi.org or call 877.251.2296

Letter from the Editor on Chinese Drywall Training

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

“We have been studying the Contaminated Drywall issue (formally referred to as ‘Chinese Drywall’, ‘Defective Drywall’, ‘Imported Drywall’ and ‘Corrosive Drywall’) for nearly two years. Our team of expert researchers, engineers, construction professionals, microbiologists and remediation specialists started in the summer of 2008 when clients first called NORMI looking for solutions. There has been a lot of ‘misinformation’ dispensed and ‘gimmickry’ solutions offered to address these problems but finally, we have found the solution and are proud to partner with Best Training School to train professionals on the assessment and remediation of Contaminated Drywall (CDW).

The problem first required intense scrutiny and investigation through a variety of disciplines. We have looked at the building science aspects of the problem, IICRC S-520 and NYC Guidelines for potential mitigation/remediation solutions, microbiological analysis utilizing DNA sampling and straight microscopy to help us identify a more holistic approach to the problem and relied on our intense construction background to propose a solution. But that wasn’t enough! Once you have a proposed solution, a mitigation/remediation protocol that works, how can you find someone who is well-trained AND insured to actually perform the work?

Now we have accomplished our purposes: provide a program that really 1) identifies the problem, through proper assessment, 2) effectively removes the source of the problem, through remediation protocols that are holistic, effective and specific to the unique job and 3) provides the customer with a guarantee that the problems WILL NOT return, a warranty aspect absent from many proposed solutions.

Well-trained, highly skilled, licensed and insured professionals for assessment AND remediation with protocols that work—come see for yourself at the next Best Training School CDW Certification class near you!” Doug Hoffman–Executive Director of NORMI

THE MITIGATION/REMEDIATION TRAINING
The NORMI Certified CDW Remediator (CCDWR)—The NORMI Certified CDW Remediator is a fully licensed and insured construction professional who has met the stringent requirements associated with the mold remediation certification (NORMI Certified Mold Remediator) also offered by NORMI. Having been trained in the standard remediation protocols (IICRC S-500, IICRC S-520, NYC Guidelines, EPA, and others) the NORMI Certified CDWR fully understands how modifying existing cleaning, restoration, mitigation and remediation techniques accomplishes the overall goals of contaminated drywall mitigation/remediation. When implementing contaminated drywall mitigation/remediation the utilization of proper containment, establishing negative pressure, use of Personal Protection Equipment and chemical/mechanical sanitization techniques are vital to the successful project. The NORMI CDWR attends this training with a rich background of training and experience so projects can be initiated immediately upon completion of the course. Requires 1-Day Training (8 hours)

The ASSESSMENT TRAINING
The NORMI Certified CDW Assessor (CCDWA)—The NORMI Certified CDW Assessor is a fully licensed and insured professional trained in all aspects of IAQ-related and CDW assessment because, first and foremost, the issues related to corrosive drywall are indoor air quality problems. The “rotten-egg odors”, the VOCs, relative humidity anomalies, and surface contamination all affect indoor air quality and must, therefore, be fixed and continually managed. The assessment process identifies those factors contributing to the symptoms in that specific and unique project then proposes protocols that mitigate or remediate the problem. The solutions are specifically tailored to match the design, construction and nature of the problem. In some cases the contaminated drywall is asymptomatic and requires only the installation of IAQ management techniques, light mitigation and/or containment. In other cases, removal of the contaminated drywall is in order. Rather than taking a “let’s kill the flea with an elephant gun” approach, the NORMI Certified CDWA is trained to match the solution with the problem. There will be no “unnecessary” redundancy just to cover up or mask the problems. The problems are identified and protocols written to solve the problem at its source. Requires 2-Day Training (16 hours)

THE HEALTHIER HOME WARRANTY
The NORMI Healthier Home Warranty is the goal of all mitigation/remediation projects. A home that has been properly assessed and remediated qualifies for the ongoing warranty which guarantees to the homeowner, the problems were solved. Upon completion of the project the homeowner is presented with a NORMI Certificate of Sanitization as a third-party confirmation that all protocols were followed resulting in a post remediation verification that all levels of IAQ are in “expected/normal” ranges. The NORMI Certificate of Sanitization then becomes the basis for the ongoing warranty. Should the homeowner elect to continue this warranty, an annual compliance review is scheduled and ongoing IAQ management through IAQ monitoring and maintenance is implemented.

For more information on how this training and solution could help you, call the NORMI CDW Hotline at 877.251.2296 x 8911 or email support@normi.org Classes now being offered at www.BestTrainingSchool.com/cdw.php