RBQ and CNESST
Required licence and work classes, building responsibilities, health and safety, asbestos, and worker and occupant protection.
Technical basis of accreditation
The requirements and protocols behind RSBQ Accreditation.
For its displayed scope, an RSBQ-accredited company must demonstrate that it applies relevant regulatory requirements and selected technical protocols for air analysis, asbestos, mould, decontamination, water damage and HVAC. Every claim is connected to verifiable evidence.
Read the RSBQ frameworkHow evidence is built
Regulation, methods and control brought into one file.
The RSBQ audit starts with applicable duties, selects the relevant technical method, then requires the licences, competence, instruments, chains of custody, reports, photographs and closure criteria needed.
Health Canada, BNQ, IICRC, ASHRAE and NYC
Air investigation, mould, water damage, remediation, HVAC, sampling and post-work verification as the situation requires.
Verifiable accreditation
A decision based on public scope, a versioned matrix, closure of findings, a validity date and a unique number.
Audit rule
Citation is not enough. Evidence is required.
- 01
Define scope
Building, areas, contaminants, work, responsibilities and exclusions are fixed before the audit.
- 02
Identify applicability
Each law, regulation, code, official guide and technical standard is connected to the relevant module.
- 03
Verify the correct edition
The file records the publisher, edition, consultation date and decision rule used.
- 04
Require evidence
Licences, competence, methods, calibration, chain of custody, laboratory reports and field findings.
- 05
Close findings
Full conformity is not decided until major findings and required results are closed.
- 06
Monitor status
Changes, complaints, suspensions, expiry dates and renewals remain traceable in the file.
Requirement hierarchy
A source has value only when it applies to the right context.
RSBQ does not combine texts in a way that erases their role. The file preserves the issuer, scope, edition and priority of every requirement.
- 1
Applicable laws and regulations
They take priority. Owners, employers, clients and contractors retain their own legal duties.
- 2
Competent authorities
Guidance, forms, registries, notices and methods published by Health Canada, CNESST, RBQ, Québec and public bodies.
- 3
Adopted codes and standards
The legally or contractually applicable edition is confirmed before a criterion is used.
- 4
Technical standards and protocols
BNQ, IICRC, ASHRAE, ISO, CSA, laboratory methods and specialized guidance as the assignment requires.
- 5
RSBQ controls
The matrix turns applicability into audit questions, expected evidence, findings, corrections and a decision for a precise scope.
Version control
Edition
Number, year, amendments and language of the edition used.
Applicability
Jurisdiction, building, occupancy, work and people covered.
Authorized access
Lawfully obtained copy or valid access to the proprietary document.
Monitoring
Review date, identified change, assessed impact and updated matrix.
Controlled sources
Organizations, texts and methods used by the matrix.
Each card distinguishes the source’s role, its use within RSBQ and the expected evidence. Links lead directly to document owners.
01Federal health authority
Health Canada — indoor air, radon, lead and drinking water
Health guidance, investigation strategy, indoor-air contaminants, the Canadian radon guideline and drinking-water recommendations.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceRSBQ requires the source, date, parameter, method and decision rule that apply to the mandate.
02Federal health guideline
Health Canada — technical guideline for lead in drinking water
MAC of 0.005 mg/L (5 µg/L) for total lead, measured at the tap using a building-appropriate protocol, with concentrations kept as low as reasonably achievable.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe file must specify building type, stagnation or flushing scenario, tap, container, preservation, laboratory and interpretation rule.
03Québec authority
CNESST — occupational health and safety, including asbestos
Pre-work identification, presumption, records, training, dust control, containment, respiratory protection and disclosure.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe RSBQ matrix distinguishes employer, owner, client and contractor duties.
04Workplace prevention
CNESST — general ventilation and local exhaust
Contaminant control through source elimination, local exhaust, general ventilation, maintenance and operating verification in workplaces.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe audit connects processes, emissions, airflow, capture points, discharge, maintenance and potential exposure rather than relying on a single ambient reading.
05Québec workplace regulation
Québec occupational health and safety regulation — permissible exposure values
Permissible exposure values, notations and requirements applicable to workplace contaminants in regulated contexts.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceRSBQ distinguishes occupational values from public-health guidance and verifies population, duration, unit, method and regulatory version.
06Québec building authority
Régie du bâtiment du Québec — licences, codes and safety
Contractor licensing when required, work classes, Construction Code, Safety Code and operating responsibilities.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceAn RSBQ audit must verify the number, class, status and fit with work included in scope.
07Québec consensus standard
BNQ 3009-600 — mould contamination in dwellings
Investigation, diagnosis and rehabilitation of residential buildings affected by mould growth.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceRSBQ cites the official edition and applies it when within scope; referencing it is not BNQ certification.
08Industry technical standards
ANSI/IICRC — water restoration, mould and indoor environment
S500 for water damage, S520 for mould remediation, S530 for assessment and S590 for HVAC after a loss.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceClauses are used from a lawfully obtained edition; IICRC certification enters the file only when its number and validity are verified.
09Public-health guidelines
NYC DOHMH — mould assessment and remediation
Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments: investigation, contamination extent, occupant protection, remediation level and completion criteria.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe RSBQ file documents the moisture source, extent, containment, remediation method and risk-based post-work verification.
10Research and laboratory methods
IRSST — sampling methods and strategy
T-06 guide, sampling strategy, instruments, chemical and biological contaminants, and asbestos and mould methods.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe file must retain the plan, method, volumes, calibration, chain of custody, laboratory and interpretation limits.
11Québec regulatory requirements
Québec government — Drinking Water Quality Regulation
Quality standards, sampling, controls, operator competence, corrective measures and records for regulated systems.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceRSBQ first determines whether the system and responsible party are regulated, then applies the corresponding controls and notices.
12National model code
National Research Council — National Building Code 2025
Technical construction, safety, health, enclosure, ventilation and occupant-protection requirements.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe audit confirms the edition actually adopted in Québec and provincial amendments rather than automatically applying the model code.
13Ventilation and HVAC standards
ASHRAE — ventilation and acceptable indoor air quality
ANSI/ASHRAE 62.1-2025 for non-residential buildings, 62.2-2025 for dwellings, Guideline 42 for enhanced IAQ and specialized references for health care and building-water systems.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceAirflow, occupancy, sources, filtration, maintenance and the applicable edition must be demonstrated; a CO₂ reading alone does not replace that verification.
14International standards family
ISO 16000 — indoor air, measurement and management system
Sampling strategies, building investigations, particles, chemical compounds and ISO 16000-40 for indoor-air quality management.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceRSBQ selects the ISO part relevant to the audit question and retains authorized access to the edition used.
15Québec scientific expertise
INSPQ — public health, indoor air, moisture and mould
Scientific reviews, interpretation tools, environmental-health evidence and guidance for housing interventions.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceHealth conclusions remain within the scope of health authorities and professionals; the audit describes building conditions and plausible exposure pathways.
16Laboratory competence in Québec
CEAEQ — Accreditation Program for Analytical Laboratories
Registry and accreditation fields for environmental laboratories, including drinking water and air microbiology, with requirements based on ISO/IEC 17025.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe file verifies the laboratory, exact field, method and validity at the time of analysis; the laboratory name alone is insufficient.
17Professional certification recommended by Health Canada
C-NRPP — radon measurement and mitigation
Professionals, devices, laboratories, quality assurance and Canadian practices for radon measurement or mitigation.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceWhen a professional is retained, RSBQ verifies the C-NRPP number, category, validity period, device and quality control.
18Québec transaction framework
OACIQ — pre-purchase inspection and advisory duties
Role of pre-purchase inspection in a real-estate transaction and the broker’s duty to recommend it.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe RSBQ Portrait remains a specialized building-health complement and clearly documents what belongs to the general inspection, testing and regulated expertise.
19Institutional sector reference
Ministère de l’Éducation — air quality in schools
Governance, CO₂, humidity and temperature monitoring, system maintenance, natural ventilation and mould management in schools.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe Education annex connects rooms, schedules, continuous data, management targets, complaints and corrective work to the building record.
20Canadian sector standards
CSA — health-care facilities, HVAC and construction infection control
CSA Z317.2 for HVAC systems in health-care facilities and CSA Z317.13 for infection control during construction, renovation and maintenance.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceThe Health-care annex verifies the adopted or contractual edition, professional competence, pressure relationships, barriers, phasing and service continuity.
21Building operating requirements
Québec Safety Code — cooling towers and Legionella
Maintenance program, water quality, Legionella pneumophila analysis, corrective measures, declaration and records for regulated systems.
RSBQ control
Open official sourceFor affected buildings, the audit verifies the signed program, sampling, results, actions, RBQ notices and recordkeeping.
Integrated scope
A multi-topic architecture that preserves requirement hierarchy.
RSBQ gains strength from cross-referencing air, ventilation, water, moisture, mould, asbestos, lead, radon, combustion, work safety, governance and follow-up. This breadth extends beyond a single-topic document while leaving priority to applicable law and credentials issued by each organization.