Is Your Contractor LEAD BASED PAINT Certified?

Is Your Contractor LEAD BASED PAINT Certified?

Mike Nelson
Mike Nelson

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If your house is built before 1978, DON’T let just anybody start working on your home. Beginning April 22nd, anybody who makes repairs, renovations or paints a pre-1978 home, school or day care center must be EPA certified and must follow specific procedures to prevent contamination.

Anybody includes landlords, contractors, plumbers, electricians, painters; it is anyone who disturbs lead paint while working in a pre-1978 home, school or day care center, now must be Lead-Safe Certified. If you’re not, you can face thousands of dollars in fines. Plus, you put the health of yourself, your workers and your customers at risk, which could result in lawsuits.

Beginning April 22nd, a property owner or contractor who performs work on a pre-1978 built home must be certified by the EPA and the procedures that must be followed include providing the tenant with a pamphlet titled Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) before beginning work.  According to the EPA, property owners who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs on their rental property should also:

-Take training to learn how to perform lead-safe work practices.

-Learn the lead laws that apply to you regarding certification and lead-safe work practices beginning in April 2010.

-Keep records to demonstrate that you and your workers have been trained in lead-safe work practices and that you followed lead-safe work practices on the job. To make recordkeeping easier, you may use the sample record keeping checklist (PDF) that EPA has developed to help contractors comply with the renovation record keeping requirements that will take effect in April 2010.

-Read about how to comply with EPA’s rule in the EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) | en español (PDF)

-Read about how to use lead-safe work practices in EPA’s Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (PDF) | en español (PDF)

If you are completing work on your own home, here is what the EPA has to say:

” If you are a homeowner performing renovation, repair, or painting work in your own home, EPA’s RRP rule does not cover your project. However, you have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of your family or children in your care. If you are living in a pre-1978 home and planning to do painting or repairs, please read a copy of EPA’s Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) lead hazard information pamphlet en español (PDF) You may also want to call the National Lead Information Center at             1-800-424-LEAD       (5323) and ask for more information on how to work safely in a home with lead-based paint.”

Click this link for more information from the EPA,https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-renovation-repair-and-painting-program.

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