More Lead Safety Courses Scheduled & Webinar on EPA Required Lead Safety Practices

The HBA has scheduled additional courses for the EPA's Certified Renovator program. There are courses scheduled for May 3 and 4, as well as May 10 and 11. The 3rd and 10th are at the HBA and the 4th and 11th are at OTC's Center for Workforce Development. You can download the updated registration form by clicking here.

There is a free informational webinar at the HBA this Wednesday, March 24 at 1 pm entitled "Lead Paint 2010: Is Your Company Really Ready?" To RSVP, please email jennifer@springfieldhba.com.

While the EPA has been quoted in various sources as projecting that the costs of interior containment, cleaning, and cleaning verification will range from $8 to $167 per job, a new study published this month by Remodeling Magazine, "How Much Will the RRP Cost" by Sal Alfano, indicates the cost will be as much as 10 times higher than the EPA estimates. You can read the full on-line version of the article (including detailed cost charts) by clicking here.

One of the issues regarding the Lead Paint rule that's been confusing to the industry is the ability of the homeowner to "opt-out" of the safety procedures. The "opt-out" provision was originally part of the RRP rule but after a law suit related to it, it is being removed/changed. For more background and information, see the Journal of Light Construction on-line article, "Uncertainty Abounds as Lead-Safe Remodeling Deadline Nears," by clicking here.

In Response to Demand, HBA Schedules Additional Lead Safe Renovator Certification Courses

In response to increased demand, the HBA has scheduled additional EPA-Required Lead Safety Renovator Certification Courses on April 29 and 30. Currently, the HBA sponsored courses scheduled for March 19 and April 19 - April 22 are all full. The April 29 course will be held in Springfield and the April 30 course is scheduled to be held in Branson (download registration form by clicking here.)

The NAHB recently encouraged the federal government to extend the April 22 deadline for Lead Renovator certification. In testimony last Thursday before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Connecticut remodeler Bob Hanbury said that rules effective April 22 governing contractors in homes where lead paint may be present will prevent meaningful retrofit work from being done because there won't be enough certified renovation contractors trained in the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new Lead Safe Work Practices.

The Senate is considering legislation that includes the proposed Home Star program, designed to provide home owner incentives for insulation and other weatherization projects. NAHB economists estimate that every $1 billion in remodeling and home improvement activity generates 11,000 jobs, $527 million in wages and salaries, and $300 million in business income, making these incentives a big boost for the economy as well as energy efficiency.

"NAHB strongly supports incentives to retrofit older homes and buildings to improve energy efficiency and performance," Hanbury said. "But to make such a program work, the April 22 deadline for compliance with the EPA lead rule must be extended."

Roughly 79 million homes constructed before 1978 are subject to the Lead Renovation, Repair and Repainting Rule, Hanbury said. Renovations on these homes, including energy-efficiency upgrades, must be done by contractors who have been certified by EPA in lead-safe work practices.

However, EPA has not approved enough instructors for the required training programs and has not certified enough firms to do the renovation work that the proposed energy efficiency program would generate.

"Consumer awareness of this regulation is negligible at best, and with the intensive media coverage that will undoubtedly accompany Home Star, home owners will rush to call contractors to perform efficiency upgrades in older housing, not realizing that many of those contractors could be doing the work illegally if they are not EPA certified," Hanbury pointed out.

EPA has estimated that more than 236,000 remodelers, window installers, painters, heating and air-conditioning specialists and other trade contractors must be trained to ensure compliance with the rule. These contractors must complete eight hours of training, pay a certification fee, and employ lead-safe work practices in homes built before 1978 where children or pregnant women are present.

However, EPA has been slow to approve trainers to offer the courses, and in some states there are still no approved trainers. As a result, only about 14,000 people have been certified to date.

With only 135 firms throughout the country approved to offer the training courses, it will be impossible for the remaining contractors to complete the required training before the April 22 deadline, Hanbury said. And an influx of new retrofit jobs under a Home Star-style program would only increase the demand for trained and certified contractors.

"NAHB looks forward to working with you to create a successful retrofit program that provides equal access for all qualified and properly-trained contractors and a true incentive to renovate the oldest, least-efficient housing stock," Hanbury told the committee.

"We also support the lead paint rule and fully agree with the importance of the safe work practices the rule describes," Hanbury said. "But at present, it looks like the only way that many of our members will be able to comply is to avoid working in these older homes so we don't break the law. In an environment where improving energy efficiency and creating jobs are national priorities, that makes no sense at all."

EPA Required Safety Certification Training Courses Nearly Full

These HBA-sponsored classes are nearly full -- there are just a few openings left for Wednesday, April 21 and Thursday, April 22. Need to register? Call or email Amanda at the HBA office, 881-3711 or amanda@springfieldhba.com

What Activities Are Subject to the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program?
In general, any activity that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, including:
• Remodeling and repair/maintenance
• Electrical work
• Plumbing
• Painting
• Carpentry
• Window replacement

What Housing or Activities Are Excluded and Not Subject to the Rule?
• Housing built in 1978 or later.
• Housing for elderly or disabled persons, unless children under 6 reside or are expected to reside there.
• Zero-bedroom dwellings (studio apartments, dormitories, etc.).
• Housing or components declared lead-free by a certified inspector or risk assessor.
• Minor repair and maintenance activities that disturb 6 square feet or less of paint per room inside, or 20 square feet or less on the exterior of a home or building.
• Note: minor repair and maintenance activities do not include window replacement and projects involving demolition or prohibited practices.

What Does the Program Require Me To Do?
Pre-renovation education requirements - Effective now.
In housing, you must:
• Distribute EPA’s lead pamphlet to the owner and occupants before renovation starts.
• In a child-occupied facility, you must:
• Distribute the lead pamphlet to the owner of the building or an adult representative of the child-occupied facility before the renovation starts.
For work in common areas of multi-family housing or child-occupied facilities, you must:
• Distribute renovation notices to tenants or parents/guardians of the children attending the child-occupied facility. Or you must post informational signs about the renovation or repair job.
•Informational signs must:
•Be posted where they will be seen;
•Describe the nature, locations, and dates of the renovation; and
•Be accompanied by the lead pamphlet or by information on how parents and guardians can get a free copy (see page 31 for information on obtaining copies).
•Obtain confirmation of receipt of the lead pamphlet (see page 23) from the owner, adult representative, or occupants (as applicable), or a certificate of mailing from the post office.
•Retain records for three years.
Note: Pre-renovation education requirements do not apply to emergency renovations. Emergency renovations include interim controls performed in response to a resident child with an elevated blood-lead level.

Training, Certification, and Work Practice Requirements– Effective after April 22, 2010.
•Firms must be certified.
•Renovators must be trained.
•Lead-safe work practices must be followed. Examples of these practices include:
•Work-area containment to prevent dust and debris from leaving the work area.
•Prohibition of certain work practices like open-flame burning and the use of power tools without HEPA exhaust control.
•Thorough clean up followed by a verification procedure to minimize exposure to lead-based paint hazards.
The training, certification, and work practice requirements do not apply where the firm obtained a signed statement from the owner that all of the following are met:
•The renovation will occur in the owner’s residence;
•No child under age 6 resides there;
•No woman who is pregnant resides there;
•The housing is not a child-occupied facility; and
•The owner acknowledges that the renovation firm will not be required to use the work practices contained in the rule.

For more information, visit the EPA's website regarding this new rule as it applies to residential contractors by clicking here