What PPE should a mold remediation crew wear in Alberta?

PPE for a Mould Remediation Crew in Alberta

The Alberta OHS Code requires that where mould exists or may exist, an employer controls worker exposure using the hierarchy of controls. That means the crew's protective equipment is a legal obligation on the contractor, not a courtesy, and what they wear should match the size and conditions of the job.

For a small area (up to three patches, each under one square metre), Health Canada says a person in good health can handle cleaning themselves using a disposable N95 respirator, safety glasses or goggles, and household disposable gloves.

For medium or extensive mould, the Code does not list the equipment. It leaves the choice to the employer under the hierarchy of controls: eliminate the exposure where possible, then engineering controls such as containment and filtered air, then work practices, with personal protective equipment last. So the useful questions are about the plan:

• What respiratory protection workers will wear for this job, and why that level
• How the work area will be separated from the rest of the house
• How workers and bagged debris will leave the area without carrying dust through your home
• What gets removed and what gets cleaned

A contractor who cannot answer those in writing has not planned the job.

There is no Alberta licence or government certificate for mould remediation, and no notification requirement the way asbestos has one. What you can reasonably ask a contractor is whether their workers have formal training in mould remediation procedures and what their written exposure control plan looks like for your job. Alberta Health Services notes that porous materials such as drywall, carpet and ceiling tiles typically require removal rather than cleaning, so the scope of work matters as much as the PPE.

One thing worth knowing: Alberta Health Services advises that air testing for mould is usually not recommended when you can already see it. Paying for air sampling before remediation is often money that could go toward fixing the water source and doing the removal properly.

If mould is already visible and the area has been disturbed before a crew arrives, the most useful thing you can do right now is close off that room and leave it alone until the moisture source and the extent of the growth are assessed.

The request form on this page sends your job to mold remediation contractors in the Calgary Construction Network directory; ask each one the four questions above.