Indoor Air Quality Solutions, IAQS

IAQA E-News

The Board of Directors of the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO) voted to rescind Section 2 of IESO’s Standard of Practice for the Assessment of Indoor Environment Quality, 2nd Edition, 2003. Acting within its proper authority, the IESO rescinded Sections 2210 and 2110 since they were not originally developed following ANSI Essential Requirements.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

From Wonder Makers Environmental

The EPA has begun enforcement of the new Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) regulation. For a window replacement company in the Midwest, this new regulation came at a hefty cost. The company was fined $70,000 for failing to hand out Renovate Right brochures to its homeowner customers ($35,000 for non-compliance; $35,000 for willful violation).

Another window contractor in Michigan was cited with a $784,380 fine for failing to warn the tenants of 271 residential units of possible lead exposure during construction activities. Business owners are responsible for the requirements of all regulatory agencies that have rules concerning the work they do.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

Restoration Industry Association

The deadline for making your reservations at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for RIA’s Leadership Summit and Industry Expo is Monday, February 7th. With the cost to attend the event is the lowest it’s been in 10 years, rooms will be going fast, so make sure to book ASAP. The early registration price is $400 for the first attendee and $300 for each additional one, and includes 2 full breakfasts and lunches, education sessions, exhibition hall access and two evening receptions. Register for the convention here before the February 21st early-bird deadline.

This is a great place to pick up several continuing education credits, particularly for those who hold RIA Certifications and need to attend one RIA event within their 3-year cycle.

This will be RIA’s only convention-style event this year, since there will not be a traditional “Fall Conference” as done in the past. There will be a two-day Striclty Contents Conference in Chicago on September 15-16. More details to come…

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

With just three weeks left until the IAQA 14th Annual Meeting & Indoor Air Expo, the buzz is building throughout the industry. IAQA’s line-up of speakers includes key representatives from government and industry, with more than 30 educational sessions and panel discussions to choose from. See the full program of events below. The Indoor Air Expo, co-produced by IAQA, the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), and the Radiant Professionals Alliance (RPA) features nearly 200 exhibitors. Click to see the exhibitor list and interactive expo floor plan: Indoor Air Expo.

It’s not too late to register for the IAQA 14th Annual Meeting & Indoor Air Expo, taking place in San Antonio, Texas from February 15-17. Click the convention banner at the bottom of this email to get travel information, registration forms and other essential information. See you in Texas!

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

The Code Development Review Ad-Hoc Committee (CDRAC), charged with reviewing Member feedback regarding—and addressing critical issues impacting—the Code Council’s current code development procedures, posted all four committee reports and a summary of CDRAC Recommendations online. The CDRAC’s final meeting, which is open to Members and stakeholders, is planned for February 3-4 in Rosemont, Illinois.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

Columbia, MD – The Restoration Industry Association (RIA) has given its annual convention and exhibition a major facelift and will be unveiling some of those changes at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The Leadership Summit and Industry Expo will take place from March 8-11 and will feature four facilitated discussion forums on several different hot topic themes that encompass a host of different subjectS:

Management in Today’s Challenging World – lean management, personnel issues, today’s technology

Covering Your Assets – risk assessment, legal issues in restoration, lead-safe practices

Opportunity Knocking in a Deficit-Laden Economy – new revenue streams, distinguishing your company from the competition, social media marketing

Spend More Time Planning Your Vacation Than Customer Service? – defining the industry’s customers, setting and exceeding customer expectations, providing world class customer service

“RIA has a reputation for providing new ideas, trends and concepts at its Convention,” said RIA President Frank Headen, CR, WLS, CMH. “These expanded sessions allow attendees to determine what topics are important to them and gather information from the leading cleaning and restoration professionals from around the world.”

There will also be two keynote presentations. Evan Marcus of Dillon Marcus Executive Retreats will address the “Wisdom of We” and the importance of “inter-dependence” in today’s business environment. Ted Garrison of Garrison & Associates takes a look at “An Industry in Turmoil: Trends to a Restoration Turnaround.”

Eight other 90-minute break-out sessions will tackle the topics of: job costing analysis, organizing for tomorrow’s business, “leed” vs. “green” certifications, RIA’s Phoenix Award winners, restoring contents, a review of Xactware’s 2010 annual property report, transitioning the family restoration business to the next generation, and how to become a “restoration survivor.”

For more information or to register, visit http://www.restorationindustry.org.

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com

A newly published book by Vince Elliott, BS, MHS, describes how facilities can now be cleaned thoroughly, hygienically, at less cost, and with greater work productivity without the use of chemical cleaning agents.
New Book Advocates Chemical-Free Cleaning

The book, Extreme Green Cleaning, was introduced in November at the 2010 ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America trade show in Orlando.

In it, Elliott writes that the professional cleaning industry is moving beyond conventional or green cleaning chemicals to emerging technologies that use plain tap water instead of chemicals.

“This is what I call renewable, ‘chemical-free cleaning,'” says Elliott. “It means no cleaning residues are left on surfaces or in the air after cleaning.”

Elliott argues that even though green cleaning chemicals are safer for users and the environment, “they still are chemicals. The typical [American] office building is using approximately 1,600 pounds of these chemicals each year, dumping about six billion pounds of chemicals into our environment annually.”

Instead, Elliott suggests employing these effective alternatives:
Activated water systems, which use electrical currents to turn tap water into a powerful disinfectant

Electrolyzed water systems, which are used for scrubbing and cleaning floors

The no-touch cleaning system, which is considered a “sanitizing device” based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria*
“Chemical-free cleaning may have caught some people by surprise because it has been evolving so slowly,” adds Elliott. “But it is here and growing and will prove to be one of the most significant trends in our industry in years to come.”

Elliott’s book may be purchased through Amazon.com .

*Applies only to certain models of the no-touch cleaning system developed by Kaivac, Inc. Cleaning must be performed as directed, with water only, and no chemicals or cleaning agents. The EPA classifies a “sanitizing device” as any system that reduces the number of microbes on a test surface by 99.9 percent.

For more information, visit http://www.ealtd.com or http://www.cfcn.info .

•John P. Lapotaire, CIEC
•Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant
•Microshield Environmental Services, LLC
•www.Microshield-ES.com