Lead-Safe Work Practices

As a San Francisco-based contractor, Robert Hauser spends a good deal of time remodeling interiors of Victorian homes built before 1978—which means he also spends a good deal of time working with lead-based paint.

What does that mean for him and his crew? “We have to put a lot of extra safety precautions in place,” says Hauser, owner of Robert Hauser Construction.

Placing plastic across the floor of his work area is just the start. Hauser requires all of his men to wear protective suits, latex gloves and fitted respirators with replaceable filter cartridges to prevent inhalation of poisonous paint fumes.

Ada Duffey, president of the Milwaukee Lead and Asbestos Information Center and member of the National Association for the Remodeling Industry (NARI), says that like Hauser, many contractors already implement lead-safe work practices on applicable job sites. Some, she says, may not even realize they're doing it when they hang plastic and cover heat registers.

“This is the most excellent marketing tool they can hope for,” says Duffey, suggesting that contractors tout their lead-safe practices to potential clients. “With the tough economy, more contractors are competing with people who lost their jobs and are trying their hand at home improvement. It’s a great opportunity to let them know you won’t be leaving dust behind.”

Marketing to mandate
As part of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule that will go into effect April 2010, contractors leaving any traces of lead paint behind are subject to fines from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for up to $37,500 per day, per violation. The law applies to all properties—commercial and residential—built before 1978 and includes renovations of six square feet per room on the interior and 20 square feet on the exterior.

Other requirements include:

• Contractors must hand out a new pamphlet provided by the EPA, Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools, detailing the risks associated with exposure to lead-based paint. All tenants, property managers and homeowners must have a copy of the pamphlet prior to work commencement.
• At least one crew member will have to take a one-day Lead Safe Work Practices course administered by the EPA. “If you have a person already trained in a HUD/EPA approved course, it’s very likely that individual will only need to take a four-hour refresher,” Duffey says. According to the EPA, initial courses can run anywhere from $560 to $870.
• Additionally, firms will also need to become certified and keep records for three years as it relates to certifications, site documentation, cleaning verification and waste containment.

Quality Control
Dust control and cleaning are the most important parts of the new rule, adds Duffey, especially since lead-based paints can cause developmental disabilities in children. In adults, exposure to lead can result in high blood pressure, kidney damage and reproductive problems.

“For qualified remodelers who have already been smart enough to be neat and clean with their work, this will be just another sales tool for boosting their business,” she says.

Legal requirements for working in lead paint areas will now include:

• Posting warning signs in areas affected by lead paint.
• Containing the work area by removing moveable objects and covering floors, windows and vents with plastic.
• Cleaning tools before leaving the work area.
• Containerizing waste and conducting proper cleaning with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter vacuum.

“HEPA vacuums are the best bet for proper clean-up—they remove at least 99.97 percent of airborne particles .3 micrometers in diameter,” Duffey says. “They range from $400 and up—and it’s the most important tool that will keep you out of trouble.”

Contractors must especially be mindful when working near windows where dust from chipped lead paint can easily accumulate. And when it comes to physically removing lead paint, contractors like Hauser are careful to chemically strip the paint rather than using abrasive abatement tactics.

When the dust finally settles, the paint is contained and the area remediated, the certified remodeler should verify that each windowsill in the work area has been adequately cleaned, says says John Wsol, technical assistant with the U.S. EPA Region Five office. The remodeler can do this by wiping the windowsill with a damp disposable cleaning cloth. If the cloth matches or is lighter than the EPA cleaning verification card, the windowsill has been adequately cleaned. If the cloth does not match and is darker than the cleaning verification card, the windowsill should be cleaned again. Similar cleaning procedures should be used on uncarpeted floors and countertops.

Becoming certified and following lead-safe work practices on every job will minimize the incidence of lead poisoning and help contractors avoid legal problems that include the aforementioned fines of $37,500 per violation and per day not cleaned, Wsol says. Initially, the EPA will be regulating enforcement of the new law, with eventual plans to transfer jurisdiction to health departments in individual states.

“We hope to do this sooner than later,” says Wsol.

For now, builders and remodelers can find out more about the new law and mandatory certification training at http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm.