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Do your do work in any facility built before 1978 where a child under the age of 6 is present (school, church, home, etc.)?

If your answer was yes, then this course is for you! 

Under the rule, child-occupied facilities are defined as residential, public or commercial buildings where children under age six are present on a regular basis. The requirements apply to renovation, repair or painting activities. The rule does not apply to minor maintenance or repair activities where less than six square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where less then 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior. Window replacement is not minor maintenance or repair.

If You’re Not Lead-Safe Certified, Lead Paint Could Cost You Big Time

Think lead paint doesn’t affect your business?

Think again.

A new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates that all renovation and repair contractors working in pre-1978 homes,
schools, and day care centers who disrupt more than six square feet of lead paint are required to become EPA Certified in lead-safe work practices. Contractors are required to take a one-day training course and firms must send a short application to the EPA. If not, they could face tens of thousands of dollars in fines in the future.

Steve Owens, Assistant Administrator of the Office of Prevention,
Pesticides and Toxic Substances at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, said there is a simple reason for the new rule: protecting
people’s health, especially children.

“Childhood lead poisoning is a preventable disease, and our goal is to
eliminate it,” said Steve Owens.

Many contractors think the issue of lead paint poisoning went away
years ago, or that they are doing all that needs to be done to avoid it.
But lead paint poisoning isn’t just about eating paint chips, and even
contractors who think they are doing a good job may not be working in
a lead-safe manner. In fact, new research shows that contractors like
plumbers, electricians, painters and window replacement experts can
inadvertently expose children to harmful levels of lead from invisible
dust disturbed during jobs they perform every day.

“The greatest risk is for young children living in homes during
renovations,” said Owens. “One study found they were 30% more
likely to have unsafe levels of lead in their blood than kids in homes
where renovations were not occurring. So it’s very important that
contractors learn how to work lead-safe and that families hire leadsafe
certified contractors.”

A pregnant woman exposed to lead can transfer lead to her fetus. The
irreversible damages of lead poisoning can lead to a range of effects
from memory loss and diminished motor skills to behavioral and
learning disabilities.

Those who work on pre-1978 homes, apartments, schools, day care
centers and other places where children spend time, from large and
small contractors to building services professionals, will have to take
the necessary steps to become lead-safe certified. Firms must register
with the EPA and pay a fee. Individuals must take a one-day training
course from an EPA-accredited training provider to become a certified
renovator. Renovator training is also available via e-learning. This
option allows trainers to provide much of the course content online,
making it more convenient for many renovators. EPA certification is
good for five years.

“Getting lead-safe certified is it the right thing to do for contractors,
their customers, and their employees, and especially for the children
who spend time near spaces that are being renovated,” said Owens.
Steve Owens says that the EPA is mindful of the small added costs
that may result from complying with this important rule. To that end,
he said the EPA is launching a consumer campaign designed to raise
awareness of the dangers of lead paint poisoning, and encourage
consumers to choose only contractors who are Lead-Safe Certified.

Click Here to Register for the next LEAD RRP Seminar!

Do you have additional questions about the LEAD RRP Rule?  Click the EPA Logo to visit the FAQ page.