Pest Management Professional, August 2011

Legal claims after chlordane use was cancelled in 1988 The claim activity surrounding retreats damage found and claims increased dramatically in some areas of the country Because of this the pest management industry worked diligently on improving contracts documentation and technician education Inspector training was a particular focus for improved annual inspections We benefitted from improved documentation and education and new control technologies and techniques Want to protect yourself against bedbug claims from property owners managers and tenants Train your team on the latest bedbug control technologies and techniques document it and ensure you practice what you preach The 2000s and Mold In early 2000 the craze that hit the industry and courthouses involved mold claims One 2003 conference sponsored by the National Pest Management Association NPMA in New Orleans even featured the theme was There is gold in mold This is when the industry first acted to determine how to protect PMPs and educate them on ways to protect their businesses from these mostly frivolous lawsuits as well as how the PMP could best participate in the mold treatment arena Contracts were updated to specifically exclude mold or toxic organism exposures or specifically prepare for treatment Insurers sought ways to mitigate or exclude these types of exposures altogether These lawsuits usually won by the defense have pretty much been played out over the past few years Again because of the actions taken by the pest management industry regarding educating PMPs and updating contracts the mold scare really isnt that scary anymore In fact some insurers who had excluded mold exposure coverage in the past now are covering this type of claim We believe one of the reasons is the industry has improved the way PMPs protect themselves from unwanted mold exposure Back to Bedbugs These days PMPs rarely experience long intervals without reading or hearing about bedbugs in the media Almost every continuing education venue conference convention or meeting for PMPs has at least one speaker discussing them Its widely held that the industry has not had to deal with a pest issue with this broad of a scope for many years In the past four years the pest management industry has learned a lot from dealing with bedbugs including the difference between a WDI WDO mold or bedbug inspection and service PMPs must identify the pest based on the evidence found and the location and consider the following questions 1Are the inspectors handling the bedbug inspections properly trained and sufficiently knowledgeable in the entomology of bedbugs understanding their harborages and the techniques necessary to locate their presence 2Once it has been established the PMPs are properly trained do they know how to complete the appropriate inspection documents for the consumer 3Has the consumer been properly educated on the inspection and document s being provided including the limitations of the PMP performing the services 4Is there a problem solver at the office to handle consumer complaints callbacks or claims See Bedbug documentation page 64 Starting Treatment In addition to a contract it is imperative technicians use a properly developed and implemented inspection checklist It also should include a checklist for tasks the customer sometimes including property owners managers and tenants must perform as well It is suggested there be separate documents for inspection and treatment Technicians should treat bedbugs as they would termites using one form for inspection and if treatment is scheduled a second form that is prepared in advance PMPs using bedbug scent detecting dogs should have yet another document ready The authors of this feature have both 62 August 2011 Pest Management Professional mypmp net