OntarioACHI Certified Indoor Air Quality Assessor

Indoor Air Quality is not considered part of a regular residential Home Inspection. This means that the Home Inspection Standards specifically exclude IAQ assessments from a Home Inspection. This also means that many Inspectors who wish to offer this type of service have to belong to multiple association, each with their own standard and each with different rules and requirements to regulate the Inspector.

In 2018, OntarioACHI launched the OntarioACHI Indoor Air Quality Assessor (OCIAQA) Program. This program provides training and assessment to those Inspectors who wish to offer Indoor Air Quality Assessments to their clients, while at the same time being recognised for operating within a self-regulatory association and adhering to a comprehensive standard of practice (SOP) and stringent code of ethics (COE).

Entry Requirements

Regulated membership

Because the OCIAQA is a self-regulated certification, holders of the certification must be paid-up members of the Ontario Association of Certified Home Inspectors.  The Certification is regulated by the association, ensuring that OCIAQA holders are mandated to adhere to the SOP and COE.    This provides members of the public a level of confidence that the Inspector has achieved the standards required of them.

Prior Learning

Each OCIAQA Designate must be able to prove prior learning in the subject areas they are servicing.   This means they must show competence, through education of the following.

  • Basic understanding of Indoor Air Quality
  • The Built Environment
  • Ventilation
  • Comfort, health, productivity and perception
  • Type of contaminates
  • Sampling and Methodology

Competence can be shown in a number of ways.

  1. Attending and passing courses accredited for the subject area (e.g. OCIAQA Courses, IAC2 Courses, EIC Courses)
  2. Providing proof of prior learning from an accredited source (e.g. International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants, EACO, IICRC)

Insurance Cover

Each OCIAQA Designate must hold Professional Indemnity Insurance Cover for the areas of assessment they are providing services for. This may require extra riders on their standard Home Inspection Policy which cover:

  • Mould
  • Asbestos
  • Radon
  • Allergens
  • Contaminates

In addition, each OCIAQA Designate must have completed the OntarioACHI course on safe sampling of hazardous environments course. They must also maintain a Health-and-Safety Record for each assessment carried out.

Different Levels of Skills

OCIAQA Mentee
Home Inspectors wishing to obtain the OCIAQA designation, who have not been qualified through the prior-learning assesment route, enter the program as Mentee’s.   They are required to work in conjunction with either an OCIAQA Mentor or OCIAQA Reviewer until they have the pre-requisites to sit and pass the OCIAQA examination.    This requires all IAQ services to be overseen by their mentor to ensure quality and duty of care to the clients.
OCIAQA
Home Inspectors who have qualified via the prior-learning assesment route or have processed through the Mentorship program, and have sat and passed the OCIAQA courses and exams will be awarded the OCIAQA designation.   This provides them with a qualification that states they are considered qualified to provide Indoor Air Quality Assessments for consumers without daily oversight.
Their work will be subject to random reviews, and they will be require to maintain professional liability insurance and continued educational and professional development to maintain their OCIAQA designation.
OCIAQA Mentor
OCIAQA Mentors have taken extra courses and passed extra examinations specific to mentoring other Inspectors. They are considered qualified to mentor other Inspectors entering the OCIAQA program.
OCIAQA Mentors are requred to maintain their OCIAQA like any other OCIAQA Desigante, and are, like those, subject to random reviews of their work.
OCIAQA Reviewer
OCIAQA Reviewers are the top level of OCIAQA professionals, having transitioned through all prior stages and taken courses and passed examination needed to provide the reviewer level.
OCIAQA reviewers can both mentor and review other inspectors work.
OCIAQA Reviewers are expected to provide the reviewer function as part of their designation free of charge to the Association to ensure that the desingation maintains the highest level of standards for IAQ Assessment professionals.

Frequently Asked Questions

I used to be an IAC2 Inspector but am no longer a member of the Association that runs that program, what do I have to do to get my OACIQA designation?

You will need to provide proof of the level of Certification and Education you have. This needs to be submitted to the Certification committee along with proof of Insurance. You will need to comply with the Association’s standards of Practice and Code-of-Ethics. You will be required to maintain Continued Educational and Professional development requirements and be subject to random reviews of your work. The review process is not to prevent you from providing the service, but to ensure you are guided in the most professional methods of providing your services to the consumers you serve.

I am a new inspector and want to get into Indoor Air Quality Assessment, what do I need to do?

You will need to apply to the program and select a Mentor to provide oversight while you are in training. You will need to comply with the Association’s standards of Practice and Code-of-Ethics. You will need to submit ALL of your IAQ assessment engagements to your mentor and require sign-off of your reports prior to submitting to your clients. You will need to attend all prescribed courses and take and pass all prescribed examinations. You will need to maintain professional indemnity insurance (This may be able to be obtained at a discount through your mentor, ask them)

Do you have a different questions about the OCIAQA program? Ask it here: https://ontarioachi.ca/questions/ask/