HOW TO KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW SOMETHING

Is there anything more frustrating than having your instructions ignored, especially when someone has asked you to help them solve a problem? Shortly after Hurricane Harvey, we visited a site where one large wall experienced major water damage and threatened the air quality in the two rooms that shared the wall. I told the property manager how to deal with the problem, instructing him to drop down plastic and put a dehumidifier in both rooms. Three weeks later, we returned for a follow up and learned that the property manager followed our instructions, but only in one of the rooms.

Apparently, they were unable to gain access to the other room when they tried to clean up, so they didn’t do it at all. The entire wall remained wet for weeks after the storm, which meant both rooms still had a problem! We returned to the site once a week for over two months afterward, and each time I found the property manager dragging his feet on following our instructions. When I asked why they had yet to address the other side of the wall, the property manager shrugged and said, “You told us what we needed to do, but we really didn’t think we had to do it.”

Fortunately, most property managers and building owners I have the privilege of working with aren’t like that. When they learn there’s a problem, they want to take care of it quickly. However, even when someone wants to do the responsible thing, I’ve learned what you don’t know can hurt you. After the hurricane, I saw a lot of well-meaning people who didn’t know where they should go to handle repairs. Many of them called the company who handles their building remodeling, not realizing the ability to hang drywall does not make a person qualified to deal with Category 3 water. If you call the wrong company to address black water after a storm, and that company doesn’t take the necessary precautions, they may accidentally expose building occupants to dangerous contaminants. Can you guess who is left liable if people start getting sick?

In 2018, education will be the primary goal of my year. In addition to expanding my own knowledge through the various conferences and seminars I will attend, I also want to educate my clients. If what you don’t know can hurt you and your tenants, then it’s time to locate the gaps in your knowledge. I am not saying property managers and building owners must be well-versed in every area of IAQ and building science. That’s my job, after all. Instead, if a client doesn’t understand about IAQ, I hope they will ask me! I would be happy to explain the process or share informational materials so other people in the industry better understand indoor air quality and why it matters. For example, if you would like to educate your team on how to safely address black water problems, I know an excellent water restoration technician course that can make a world of difference in just three days.