AARST_Radon_Reporter_Q32025_Single

THE RADON REPORTER | 25 PROFICIENCY grievances as they occur and are empowered to do so. The complainant is encouraged to file a formal complaint if the issue cannot be resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction or when an acceptable resolution cannot be reached by informal means. To be considered a formal complaint, complainants must complete and submit a Complaint Form within 14 calendar days of the event with which they are dissatisfied. To avoid the perception of biased decision making and preserve impartiality, the complaint is handled by NRPP personnel not involved in, or responsible for, the topic of the complaint. Appeals Examinees, candidates and certificants may file an appeal against any decision that adversely affects their certification. Valid appeals are submitted to NRPP’s Compliance Office on a completed appeal form, along with additional evidence in support of their appeal, within 30 calendar days of the decision they are appealing. Failure to submit an appeal within this timeframe is deemed a waiver of the individual’s right to protest the charges. All appeals are handled by NRPP’s Certification Management Committee. Filing a complaint or appeal will not result in any discriminatory action against the person submitting it. While NRPP policy requires that complaints and appeals- related information provided to the Compliance Office be kept confidential, if the complainant does not consent to having their name and property address communicated to the certificant, NRPP is limited in its ability to resolve the complaint. Trends in Compliance Issues Complaints Against Certified Professionals NRPP’s Compliance Office has handled 16 complaints against certified professionals since November 2024. Of these, eight involved violations of the NRPP Code of Ethics/ Certification Terms Agreement and eight were violations of the ANSI/AARST Standards – seven were filed against radon mitigators and one was against a measurement professional who was using an uncalibrated device. By far, the majority of complaints filed against radon mitigators were violations of SGM-SF 6.4 ASD Exhaust Discharge with the point of exhaust being located less than 4 feet away from operable windows located below the point of exhaust, the point of exhaust being located below the edge of the roof but with no justification provided in the OM&M plan (or no OM&M plan provided at all), and the location of 90-degree horizontal discharges not being greater than 20 feet above grade. Other standards violation complaints received by the ComplianceOffice included issueswith excessive vibration and noise, improper ERV venting, pipe installation through a basement window, unsealed crawlspace membranes, unlicensed electrical work, and installation of system components on a system in disrepair. NRPP did not process all of the standards violation complaints. NRPP needed to dismiss four complaints because the complainant did not know the name of the person who installed or serviced their mitigation system or because the complaint was against someone not NRPP-certified. Of the eight complaints filed concerning a violation of the NRPP Code of Ethics/Certification Terms Agreement , ALL involved the certificant not upholding the terms of their warranty. These complainants claimed that they were ignored by the certificant when they attempted to contact them to request previous test results or information about the system, or express dissatisfaction with noise or climbing radon levels. Even where warranties guarantee a specific radon level, when radon levels rise and fall above that level, the mitigator did not respond to the homeowner. As part of the NRPP Code of Ethics/Certification Terms Agreement for certification as a radon professional, individuals agree to respond to complaint inquiries in a timely manner with professional courtesy to clients, NRPP staff and committee members who have initiated the inquiry. Further, they agree to avoid misconduct, which includes: accepting payment for services but failing to reasonably provide those services in a timely manner. Most certificants complied with the Disciplinary Panel’s sanctions; they acknowledged their error, returned to fix any issues identified, and completed any assigned continuing education by the deadline. One radon mitigator was suspended and will be reinstated if he repairs or removes, or hires a third-party to repair or remove, a system he installed by a specified deadline. The certification of another individual was revoked due to criminal activity. Complaints Against Certification Activities Since November 2024, NRPP has received two complaints against certification activities. One was not a valid complaint and was dismissed. The other pertained to a device listing. The complaint was handled by a Disciplinary Panel of NRPP’s Certification Council. Appeals NRPP’s Certification Management Committee has heard nine appeals since November 2024. Of these, six were granted and three were denied. All three that were denied were appeals against sanctions previously administered by NRPP’s Disciplinary Panel: two suspensions and one revocation of certification. The six that were granted were requests to reconsider eligibility or recertification decisions. In most cases, individuals believed they were certified and discovered they weren’t when trying to access their certification account or professional profile. In three cases an administrator within the company for which these individuals worked, who was responsible for payment of certification fees, failed to pay.