What is 3rd Party Event Assessment? (Known Also as Moisture Mapping)
- When you, the owner, or the insurance company hire another company to assess the extent and details of a loss and the progression of restoration
Aspects of a Good 3rd Party Event Assessment:
- Qualified, Experienced, Insured, & Unbiased Investigator
- Moisture Assessment (via IR cameras and non-penetrating & penetrating moisture meters)
- Field marking of wet materials (Generally with painters tape)
- Moisture mapping (Diagram of wet building material locations & key observations)
- Identification & documentation of pre-existing conditions (digital photos)
- Compliance sampling for asbestos (3 hour turn around time available)
- Determination of Category of Water (I, II, or III)
- Identification of drying trouble spots
- Verification of dryness at projects end (closure)
- Available 24/7
- Day1 and subsequent days as needed
Finding the Water
Typical Unaided View of Wet Building Materials
Typical Infrared View of Wet Building Materials
The Invisible Made Visible (Ceiling)
- No signs of moisture
- IR denotes suspect area & moisture meter confirms the ceiling is wet.
- IR image is put in report, location is mapped for the restoration contractor and the owner.
- Wet areas are marked to visualize the area needing attention for the restoration firm and the owner
The Invisible Made Visible (Floor)
What’s Wet in this Bathroom?
- The IR image on the right shows an area of cooler wall surface temperatures.
- The non-penetrating moisture meter beeps when placed on the cool spot.
- The penetrating moisture meter beeps when placed on the cool spot.
- A monkey can be trained to put a moisture meter on a wall or to operate and IR camera.
- A professional knows the limitations of the tools, understands building materials, has working knowledge of applicable rules and regulations, & understands the pros and cons of available corrective options.
Document Conditions Encountered
Document Convoluting Conditions
Wet Building Materials Field-marked With Red Painters Tape
Diagram of Key Observations
“See” the Progress Day 1 (hour 0) & Day 2 (hour 35.5) 2nd Floor
“See” the Progress Day 1 (hour 0) & Day 2 (hour 35.5) 1st Floor
Verify We Are Dry Day 1 & Day 6
Three Categories of Water
- Clean water: does not pose substantial harm to humans
- Can be dried in place
- Gray water: containing a significant degree of chemical, biological, and/or physical contamination
- Can be judged on a case by case basis (padding MUST be removed)
- Black water: grossly unsanitary water, containing pathogenic agents &/or chemicals of concern
- Remove affected porous contents and structure
What is Category 3 Water?
- Water from beyond the trap (sewage)
- Water that came in contact with soil
- Category 3 water can sewage can contain a wide variety of chemical contaminants and/or pathogenic organisms including
- Pathogenic organisms associated with sewage include:
- Bacteria such as Salmonellaa, Shigella and Clostiduium difficile
- Unicellular parasites such as Giardia and Cyptosporidium
- Multi-cellular parasites such as tape worms and liver flukes
- Viruses such as HIV, polio and the viruses that causes hepatitis.
- Testing impossible/impractical
- Must presume the presence of the full spectrum of both viable and non-viable pathogenic organisms (virus, bacteria, fungi) and chemicals of concern in all category III water
- Disinfection alone is not enough
- Many disinfectants are not effective in “killing” the entire array of potential pathogens
- Many of the organisms fund in sewage water are toxic even when those organisms are killed (i.e. bacterial endotoxins)
- Disinfection is ineffective against chemical contaminants
- Use special handling and training
Sewage (Anything from beyond the trap is Category 3)
- Not all sewage looks unclean
- Sewage can contain biological and chemical contaminants
- Sewage can contain body fluids
- Body fluids should be considered and handled as contaminated with blood borne pathogens
- Bloodborne pathogens require special handling and training
Flood Waters (Any water that comes in contact with soil is Category 3)
Soil can contain biological and chemical contaminants.
Category 1 and 2 Water Degrades to Category 3 Water
Factors influencing the degradation of clean water to category 3
- What the water contacts
- Temperature
- Passage of Time (7 days, IICRC S500)
Handling Emergency Responses to Cat 3 Floods
- Cross Contamination
- Walking from the loss area into clean areas
- Yes you carry germs on your shoes too
- Moving contents from unclean areas to clean areas
- Moving unclean tools to clean areas
- Keep bad stuff outside your body
- Beware hand to mouth transfer
- Don’t bring it home to your family
Avoid getting harmful germs inside your body
- Practice good personal hygiene
- Keep your hands out of your:
- Nose
- Eyes
- Mouth
- Sores (cuts, pimples, rashes)
- Wash your hands often and well
- Restroom
- Before Meals/Snacks/Smoking
- After Skin Contact
- Before & After Wound Care
Protect Yourself
- Train and protect your team
- Vaccinate your team (HEP A-B, Tetanus, Etc.)
- Presume Category 3 water until otherwise proven
- Document the water source (personally or via a qualified expert such as a plumber and get a copy of their opinion in writing)
- Document pre-existing conditions
- Presume asbestos until proven otherwise
Why use a 3rd Party?
If you don’t use a 3rd party Consultant…
- The proverbial “Fox” is watching the “Henhouse”
- Smacks of conflict of interest
- Weakens your position in litigation
If you don’t use a 3rd party Laboratory
- Your particular contaminant may not be their specialty
- They may not hold consensus accreditation for your contaminant