As The Clean Trust seeks to be the leading independent, non-profit certification and standard setting body within the cleaning, restoration and inspection industry, it is important we remain proactive on new regulation and legislation changes.

(Editor's Note: This column was submitted prior to the organization's name change back to the IICRC.)

As The Clean Trust seeks to be the leading independent, non-profit certification and standard setting body within the cleaning, restoration and inspection industry, it is important we remain proactive on new regulation and legislation changes. One aspect of this effort is to make sure our certifications and training courses are in line with any state, local or national requirements for licensing. Right now, we are in the process of completing the beta testing for a certification exam for professionals in the mold remediation industry - the Mold Removal Specialist (MRS) certification exam. Once beta testing is complete, we will submit for accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This exam will meet all current state licensing requirements, including the Florida requirements that went into effect in early 2011.

To finalize this new exam, we continue to seek mold technicians and specialists to become beta testers. Anyone who has been in the mold industry for more than one year qualifies to sit for The Clean Trust MRS exam. Invoices and certifications can be used as proof of your experience and we are willing to work with you to determine if you qualify for the beta testing. One advantage of being a beta tester is that participants will receive a discounted rate of $150 (exam is $250 after the beta testing closes) and, if passed, will be among the first to hold this certification to include the first year annual fee.

The MRS certification is an additional way to help differentiate you from typical mold remediation contractors. As we’ve seen, if the mold remediation field fails to standardize themselves through tests like the MRS, state or federal regulations often follow.

One important point of clarification: The Mold Removal Specialist certification does not replace the current Applied Microbial Restoration Technician (AMRT) exam; it is an additional level of certification. The differences between the MRS certification and the AMRT certification are:

• There are no continuing education requirements for MRS - only an annual renewal fee of $150 and a recertification every five years, which is $200.

• The actual exam will be completed at a testing center located closest to you.

• While strongly encouraged, no training pre-requisites are required to take the exam.

• This is the first Clean Trust exam not associated with a specific Clean Trust training course.

 

In today’s crowded marketplace and increased government regulation, we strongly encourage you to consider signing up to take the beta test MRS exam. It’s an opportunity to help move our industry forward as well as allow you to gain a specialized certification before many of your competitors do.

If you are interested in becoming a MRS beta tester, please contact headquarters to sign-up, or email mrs-exam@thecleantrust.org for any questions. More information, including course content, can be found on our website, www.thecleantrust.org.