EPA LAUNCHES NEW LEAD CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT
By Peter Landau, Editor, Indoor Comfort News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that renovation, repair and
painting of pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities for compensation must now be
conducted using safe practices to protect children and pregnant women from exposure to
lead-based paint.
EPA proposed the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP), which require
contractors to be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices, in 2006. In 2008, EPA
finalized the rule and set April 22, 2010 as the implementation date. To date, EPA has
certified 204 training providers who have conducted more than 6,900 courses, training an
estimated 160,000 people in the construction and remodeling industries to use lead-safe
work practices.
According to the Federal Register, the opt-out provision that currently exempts a firm
from the training and work-practice requirements of the rule where the firm obtains a
certification from the owner of a residence he or she occupies that no child under age six
or pregnant women resides in the home and the home is not a child-occupied facility is
removed effective July 6, 2010.
Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating six
square feet or more of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty
square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects or window replacement or demolition
in housing, child care facilities and schools built before 1978.
Contractors who perform renovation, repairs and painting jobs in pre-1978
housing and child-occupied facilities for compensation must, before beginning
work, provide owners, tenants and child-care facilities with a copy of EPA’s lead
hazard information pamphlet “Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard
Information for Families, Child Care Providers and Schools,” dated April 10,
2010, before starting work. It is available here:
www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf. The brochure is expected to
be amended sometime in July.
Child care facilities, including preschools and kindergarten classrooms, and the
families of children under six years of age that attend those facilities; renovators
must provide a copy of this pamphlet to child care facilities and general
renovation information to families whose children attend those facilities.
Certification is a two-stage process, beginning with individual certification that requires
one member of the contracting firm take an accredited eight-hour training course, pass an
exam and be entered into an EPA Headquarters database in Washington, D.C. The
individual will get a photo identification card and a Certificate
Homes owners should be vigilant and ensure contractors are certified prior to they undertaking home painting jobs. If your home was constructed before 1978 the possibility exists that lead paint was used. Lead has been proven to be hazadorous especially to children.
Jules Williams.
Building Analyst.
