Clearance & Certificates
Independent verification and the IEP (S520)
In plain English
In the S520, post-remediation verification (PRV) is an inspection and assessment by an independent, third-party IEP after the work, which can include a visual inspection, field measurements, an odor check, lab testing or sampling, to confirm the area is back to Condition 1 and meets the agreed completion criteria. When a PRV is required or requested, the remediator should settle those criteria with the owner and the IEP before the work starts or as early as possible.
The person doing the PRV sets the completion criteria from the owner's requirements, any regulations and industry standards. At a minimum they should include a return to Condition 1, with remaining materials dry and the work area free of visible dirt, dust, debris, odors and mold growth. Sampling, if done, covers components and areas representative of those criteria.
The remediator should finish and document its own post-remediation evaluation first, and keep containment, air scrubbers and negative air machines running until the IEP directs otherwise or reports that the PRV passed. The S520 says the remediator should recommend the owner hire a third-party IEP when there's a real risk the area won't end up clean and dry, when occupants have health concerns, or when the owner wants sampling before moving back in, and should tell the client the standard recommends a third party do the PRV. If the IEP isn't independent of the remediator, that should be disclosed to the client in writing as a departure from the standard.
The S520 describes an IEP as someone qualified by experience, education, training or certification to assess buildings, systems and contents for Conditions 1, 2 and 3. They should be trained in designing and carrying out sampling and reading lab reports, understand the principles of remediation, be able to set the scope of work and verify the return to Condition 1, help with specifications and protocols, assess water damage, and understand building science well enough to find cause and prevention. An IEP doing pre-remediation assessment or verification should be unbiased and independent of the remediator, "shall" be licensed where the law requires it, and should carry errors-and-omissions or professional liability insurance. The S520 notes that some jurisdictions require the assessment to be independent by law.
Texas is one of them. On a regulated Texas project, the IEP's role belongs to a licensed Mold Assessment Consultant, who may not be the remediator or share ownership with it; the consultant writes the protocol and performs the clearance (post-remediation assessment), and walk-in containment stays up until clearance is passed.
Key points
- PRV = independent third-party IEP confirms the return to Condition 1.
- Agree the completion criteria with the owner and IEP before work starts.
- Minimum criteria: Condition 1, dry, no visible dust, debris, odor or mold.
- Remediator does its own evaluation first; controls stay on until the IEP says so.
- A non-independent IEP must be disclosed in writing.
- In Texas, an independent licensed MAC does this by law.
Official text
This topic is covered in our own words because the standard behind it is copyrighted; we cite it below rather than reproduce it.
Citations
- IICRC S520, ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation — Sec. 12, post-remediation verification, p. 61. Best practice
- IICRC S520, ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation — Sec. 13, indoor environmental professional, p. 62. Best practice