Mold Identification and Abatement

Molds are fungi that can be detected bothindoors and outdoors year-round and are found in virtually every environment. Warm, damp and humid conditions are ideal for mold growth. Outdoors, they canbe found in shady, damp areas or places where leaves or other vegetation isdecomposing. Indoors, they can be found where humidity levels are high, such asbasements or showers.

Typical areas where mold is known to groware places with a great deal of moisture, including leaks from roofs, windowsand pipes, or areas susceptible to flooding. Mold grows well on paper products,cardboard, ceiling tiles and wood products. Mold can also grow in dust, paints,wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric and upholstery.

Whether hiring a contractor to completeconstruction activities at a job site or a contractor to complete moldabatement once growth has been detected, it is important for the contractor tobe properly trained and insured. A lack of experience with mold prevention orabatement, and/or contractors with substandard or no insurance coverage formold, can lead to inadequate abatement or future costly claims from moldexposure.

Project owners and general contractorslooking to hire subcontractors with mold experience rely on contractorstatements of qualifications and certificates of insurance to satisfy projectrequirements. However, standard certificates of insurance fail to confirm truepollution liability has been secured for a project and do not state if thepollution insurance is a Commercial General Liability (CGL) endorsement or aContractors Pollution Liability (CPL) policy. A CGL endorsement typically has apollution exclusion or an endorsement restricting coverage for mold and fungus,whereas a CPL policy covers environmental liabilities left uncovered by CGLpolicies with restrictive pollution exclusions. This is not evident just byreading the certificate of insurance.