Have you noticed the once clear-cut segments of remediation are blurring? Asbestos contractors are providing mold remediation. Restoration contractors are handling asbestos. Thanks to the RRP, tens of thousands are self-promoting as experts on lead paint. Doesn’t everyone show up for catastrophe response these days? The turnkey temptation of trying to be all things under one roof has always been irrepressible. But now, due to many factors, the previously individual trades of restoration and abatement are becoming less distinct at an accelerating rate.

Commonalities aid this evolution in our industry, but there are limitations. Across the disciplines of specialty restoration, many trades share common attributes and skillsets. There are some crossover tools and techniques which all sects employ. However, every hazardous substance we mitigate has innate and unique challenges. Accordingly, there will always be specific solution-driven gear for each subset of restoration. So, while an expansion of services can incorporate some familiar assets already owned and known, each addition will require more training and education in critical methods and products that are entirely new.