Safety and Customer Communication
Safety controls
- Assess hazards first: water source, electrical, biological, structural and slip/trip.
- Category 3 and sewage work: rubber boots and gloves, eye protection, Tyvek or equivalent, and respiratory protection - a full-face APR with P100 is typical for sewage, with N95 as a minimum for general mold work.
- GFCI protection on all circuits in wet areas; cords off the floor; no daisy-chained power strips.
- Bag and dispose of porous Category 3 materials rather than drying and keeping them.
- Follow the antimicrobial label exactly and keep the SDS available.
Customer communication
Explain category, class and expected timeline in plain language. Set expectations about noise, heat, equipment, power draw and access. Obtain written acknowledgment when an occupant declines relocation from a Category 3 area or refuses recommended scope, and document every conversation.
Worked example
A family with an infant wants to stay home during a sewage backup cleanup. The correct response is to explain the contamination risk, recommend relocation until the Category 3 area is cleaned and verified, and record both the recommendation and the family's decision in the file. Proceeding silently because the family insisted leaves the contractor exposed.
Traps
Treating Category 3 material as dryable; skipping respiratory protection in a Category 2 space; promising that insurance will cover everything; leaving a client refusal undocumented, which converts a client choice into contractor liability.