The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has been working on revising the ANSI/IICRC S500-2006 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration. Substantive changes made to the draft Standard since the third public review in August 2014 are currently available for the fourth round of public review and comment from March 6 to April 5, 2015.

The ANSI/IICRC S500 provides a specific set of practical standards for water damage restoration. It does not provide comprehensive water damage restoration procedures; rather, it outlines the foundation for basic principles of proper restoration practices. The ANSI/IICRC S500 does not include exhaustive performance characteristics or standards for the manufacture or installation of structural components, materials and contents (personal property).

According to S500 Chairman Mickey Lee, the primary revisions made in the Standard since the last public review include:
• Modifying the airmover guidance language to better handle the “gaps” identified by many restorers that could provide less air movement than needed for some jobs.
• Reformatting the airmover guidance language to be easier and more intuitive to use.
• Removing the need to identify the “drying rate stage” (i.e. constant drying rate, falling drying rate) as a precursor to making airmover changes.
• Better defining “low evaporation materials” and “low evaporation assemblies” and how these relate to Class 4 water intrusions.

The S500 substantive changes document is available from March 6 to April 5, 2015 for review and comment as part of the 30-day fourth public review period.  All comments must be submitted completely using the draft Standard and Comment Form at http://iicrc.org/standards/iicrc-s500/. All comments must be submitted to IICRC Standards Director Mili Washington at mili@iicrc.org no later than April 5, 2015.