Industry innovator sees critical issue with new S500

ATLANTA — On March 29, 2013 the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) announced that the revised draft of the S500 became available for public review and comment, according to a press release.

"Knowing that these are the standards that will greatly impact our industry, I was highly motivated to review the new standards and weigh in on this matter," said Jeremy Reets, president of Champion Construction Systems, Inc. and owner of Reets Drying Systems, LLC.

"The contributors have expertly prepared this revision of the S500.  In addition, the IICRC has done a great job of setting standards that continue to make our industry and you and I as professionals better.  I have carefully reviewed this draft and have identified a very important issue contained in it," Reets added.

Reets took the time to review the new standard on air mover usage and perform tests on the proposed formula, saying that, "Whether you are an insurer or a restoration contractor you should be aware of the change in air mover usage that is proposed for the next IICRC S500 Water Damage Restoration Standard. This change reduces the use of air movers significantly without the support of testing. Upon testing the proposed formula, my results have shown a significant increase in drying time," the release stated.

"Contractors will be forced to do more demolition of materials that could have been otherwise saved. This will cause total restoration costs to go up. The reduction in air mover usage will result in lower rental costs for air movement which will negatively impact mitigation companies that specialize in drying. The longer dry times will increase the amplification of mold and bacteria in the drying environment. This will increase occupant health risk as well as liability exposure for contractors and insurers," Reet noted.

According to the release, in an effort to make others in the industry aware of this matter, he has prepared a letter which includes a video with his testing and results as well as a call for action; he has also authored a petition that requests the proposed standard language to be stopped. 

You can read the information that Jeremy prepared by clicking here.  You can also review the video and find the petition by clicking here.

Click here to read the release in its entirety.