EVALUATING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HEALTH – RELATED GUIDELINES DURING PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT AND REMOVAL OF INDOORS MOULD DAMAGE

Mould can cause allergic, toxic or infectious reactions (Bardana 2003). The lack of quality standardsfor assessment and removal of indoors mould has caused the German Federal Environmental Office(germ: Umweltbundesamt, UBA) to issue several health-related guidelines (UBA 2002). This studyrecorded to what extend these recommendations has been realized by experts for assessment andremoval of indoors mould damage in Greater Bielefeld, Germany. The expert companies conductedeither assessment (inspectors) or removal (craftsmen) or both, assessment and removal, of mould(case managers). Out of 150, companies 58 (39%) completed the quantitative questionnaire abouttheir procedure with indoors mould damage.The lowest agreement with UBA recommendations was found for health-related recommendations:While for the inspection companies the occupants health status had the least priority, for thecraftsmen and the case managers it was the use of recommended materials, machines, andemployment protection. 74% of the case mangers and 63% of the craftsmen agreed with theemployee protection guidelines. Most of the companies indicated interest in continuing indoor mouldeducation (inspectors 96%, craftsmen 66% and case managers 100%). To improve theimplementation of health-related guidelines we strongly recommend to distinctly highlight theimportance of mould based health issues during these advanced trainings. Service companies need tobecome aware of and sensitive to the health dimension of their work.