Mould Abatement

[F7Firecat]

I have been asked by a good customer to remove some desks in a reservoir building that have some mould on them.

 

It is not alot of mould but enough that my workers and I will be wearing respirators, tyvek and possible negative air in the room.

 

Is there any other things I should be doing like training or likewaise so I do this according to the OHSA? I will be opening my green book also but just thought Id throw this out there.

 

Is mould abatement regulated as strict as doing asbestos? As far as I know its not but I just want to make sure I am doing the right thing here.

 

Thanks,

 

Bryan

[rmarentette]

According to the Occupational Act workers must be informed of the hazards and how to eliminate exposure. Here is the Ministry of Labour site with Resources on corrective measures, mould remediation and worker training.

 

 

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/alerts/a20.php

 

Hope this helps.

[Rod Caster]

Basic particulate breathing filters should be enough. There is very little to protect against unless you have identified the mold type and/or allergies by any of your workers. I wouldn't worry too much about it to be honest... We mostly measure the severity of mold based on square meter surface coverage; a short term exposure should do little if no harm at all... Unless someone has an accute allergy. As their supervisor/employer, make sure you follow the MOL and OHS act requirments... Other than that, wear gloves, protect clothing and do some dust control and don't freak out your workers. Breathing a lot of dust would be worse than a little bit of mold spores.

 

 

Edit: Square meter not Cubic

Edited July 24, 2012 by Rod Caster

[Hud]

While I agree taht it depends on what "kind" of Mould you are dealin with, if you don't plan on having it tested then I would assume and handle as if it was "black mould". Your choice in PPE is correct but make sure you have the correct filters on your respirators. Particule matter should work fine. The only other thing you might consider to cover your a$$ is to have air monitoring completed. On your respirators, make sure they aren't just dust masks, those offer little to no protection. The green book doens't have a lot of info on mould but I've heard that they will reference the US and ACGIH standards. If you do all of that you should be fine. OH one other thing, if there is a lot, you will want to have some way for your team to decontaminate. good luck

[frozen-fire]

Everything you need to know should be in here:

 

www.cca-acc.com/documents/cca82/cca82.pdf

 

The levels of mould remediation should be dependent on the total affected surface area.

[Rod Caster]

Sounds like your just moving stuff, not performing a remediation. Not much regulating that. If you are very concerned you can:

1-Refuse the job

2-get a consultant in to identify the mold, give recommendations and they will assume the risk ($$$$)

 

If you are just trying to make sure your guys are safe, make them wear the proper PPE, control dust as much as possible and/or put all the moveables in large bags and seal them before you move them. You can also buy a moldicide from Home Depot and apply it to affected areas before handling it.

 

Mold is litterally everywhere. If there isnt' a massive surface area of it actively growing, I wouldn't have a serious concern about it for worker health.

[F7Firecat]

Honestly it isnt much, just little spots of mould on some old cabinetry.Remove and throw them into a garbage bin.

 

Tyvek, respirators, neg air, filters, and a good splash down with bleach will kill it.

 

I will be painting the concrete walls of the room with a anti mould coating also.

 

Im just not right up to speed on the how the green book handles it. Sounds like its very straight forward.

 

When I am done that room will be spick and span.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Bryan

[Rod Caster]

Bleach won't do much. Use Moldicide. Good luck!