The IICRC Standards Committee continues to be busy. The special workshops on the latest edition of the ANSI/IICRC S520 Mold Remediation Standard are nearly complete. Progress continues to be made on the latest revision of the S100 Carpet Cleaning Standard. The R800 Reference Guide for Carpet Inspectors is currently under revision.
Work is beginning on the development of the S600 Standard for Carpet Installation under the sponsorship of the World Floor Covering Association and the Carpet & Rug Institute. Work has also begun on the next updating of the ANSI/IICRC S500 Water Restoration Standard with an informal public review and commentary continuing through June 15. Contact information for anyone interested in participating in these standards revisions, updates, or commentary is available at www.iicrc.org.
The IICRC board of directors has recently passed revisions to the IICRC Continuing Education Program that make the CEC system more streamlined, less complicated, and more user friendly. More events and activities are now approved for all categories of certifications, including AMRT, making it much easier for registrants to identify appropriate CEC options and meet the requirements.
IICRC currently has task forces working on the development of new certifications in the areas of Commercial Drying Specialist and House Cleaning Technician. These new categories represent how the IICRC continues to grow and expand its offering across related industries.
As I write this, the number of active IICRC Certified Technicians has reached 48,587 and continues to climb. We will likely pass the 50,000-active-technician milestone by year’s end. Technician Certification card numbers are currently around 140,000, indicating that about one-third of all technicians certified over the organization’s 37-year history are currently active. By factoring the industry attrition and turnover rates, these numbers speak very well for the IICRC Certification Programs.
The IICRC Marketing and Public Relations Committee continues to spread the word about the value of using trained, certified technicians and companies for inspection, cleaning, and restoration services. During recent weather-related disasters throughout the country, the IICRC provided contact information to local news media, disaster relief agencies, insurance companies and other interested parties on how to contact qualified restoration and remediation companies in a given area.
The next meetings of the IICRC certification council and board of directors are planned for May 17-19 in Clearwater Beach, Fla., immediately following the Connections Conference and Exhibition.
