Do you have plans to renovate your home this summer? If you have an older home, the Cayuga County Health Department has some tips for your safety. Projects that disturb lead-based paint can create dust and endanger you and your family. Lead-based paint was used in millions of homes until it was banned in 1978. If your home was built before then, here are some facts you should know:

• Lead can affect a child’s brain and developing nervous system, causing reduced IQ and learning disabilities. Children younger than 6 are most at risk.

• Lead exposure can cause behavioral problems.

• Lead in dust is the most common way people are exposed to lead. Lead dust comes from deteriorating lead-based paint and may be difficult to see. You can get lead in your body by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil or paint chips containing lead.

• Children who seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies.

These same facts apply to child care facilities or any building built before 1978. If renovation is taking place in your day care center or your home, the work areas should not be accessible while the work is being done and the area should be contained so that dust and debris cannot escape the work area. You may even want to move out of your home temporarily while all or part of the work is being done.

Federal law requires contractors – who are hired for renovations, repairs and painting in homes, child care centers and schools built before 1978 that disturb painted surfaces – to be certified and follow specific practices to prevent lead contamination. Landlords who do renovations, repairs and painting must also be certified.

If you suspect that your house has lead hazards, here are some important things you can do to protect your family:

• If you rent, call the landlord immediately to report peeling or chipping paint.

• Regularly wet clean floors, windowsills and other surfaces with a general all-purpose cleaner.

• Wash children’s hands, bottles, pacifiers and toys often.

• Keep children away from chipping paint and prevent destructive behaviors like chewing on painted surfaces.

• Make sure children eat a healthy, nutritious diet that provides some protection from the effects of lead.

• Talk to your pediatrician about having your children tested for lead poisoning.

• Always hire certified contractors for work that will disrupt paint in housing or child-occupied facilities built before 1978, or get properly trained and certified yourself. You can search for a certified firm at http://cfpub.epa.gov/flpp/searchrrp_firm.htm.

• Call the health department at 253-1405 for advice on reducing and eliminating exposures to lead inside and outside your home.

Remember, lead can also be dangerous for adults. Lead exposure can cause reproductive problems for men and women, high blood pressure and hypertension, nerve disorders, memory and concentration problems, and muscle and joint pain.

For more information about the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP), visit the Environmental Protection Agency website.

For more information about renovating right and about the dangers of lead exposure to children and adults, call the Cayuga County Health Department at 253-1560.

Elane Daly is director of health and human services for Cayuga County. She can be reached at 253-1560 or cchealth@dfa.state.ny.us

Read more: http://auburnpub.com/lifestyles/article_7c0e3354-b713-11e0-b644-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1TGuNJMGM

After carefully weighing all available information and considering the public comments, EPA has concluded it is not necessary to impose new lead-dust sampling and laboratory analysis, known as the clearance requirements, as part of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) rule. The Agency believes that the existing lead-safe work practices and clean up requirements — which went into place in 2010 — will protect people from lead dust hazards created during renovations jobs without the need for additional clearance requirements. Nothing in today’s action will hamper implementation of the tough protections already in place. EPA determined that the lead-safe work practices will protect human health without imposing additional regulatory burdens and costs associated with taking dust samples and obtaining laboratory analyses.

“We’re pleased that the EPA listened to the concerns of remodelers about the extreme costs the proposed clearance testing would have imposed,” said Bob Peterson, NAHB Remodelers chair and a remodeler from Fort Collins, Colo. “Home owners are saved from spending a great deal of money on lead testing. If remodeling is more affordable, home owners will be able to hire an EPA-certified renovator to keep them safe from lead dust hazards during renovation.”

At NAHB’s request this regulation was selected for review by the EPA under the Presidential Executive Order for Regulatory Review (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, 76 FR 3821 issued on Jan. 21) concerning the impact of federal rules on small businesses and job creation.

The lead rule applies to homes built before 1978 and requires renovator training and certification, following lead-safe work practices, containing and cleaning dust, and record keeping.

Although EPA is not imposing clearance requirements, the final rule clarifies and strengthens the current lead-safe work practices, including requiring that a vertical containment system or equivalent measures be used when outside renovations are performed within 10 feet of a property line, and that HEPA-vacuum filters be changed at regular intervals.

Please visit www.epa.gov/lead for a copy of this final rule or for additional information on the LRRP requirements.

Source: http://www.buildingonline.com/news/viewnews.pl?id=10756&subcategory=108

Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP)

Contractors are required to be lead-certified by EPA by April 2010. Are you?

As of February 1, 2010, EPA has 131 accredited training providers. Read the list of EPA’s accredited training providers.

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Access a calendar of training courses for RRP and other programs.

On this page you will find:

• EPA Requirements
• Information for States and Tribes
• Information for Property Owners of Rental Housing, Child-Occupied Facilities
• Information for Homeowners Working at Home
• Information for Tenants and Families of Children under Age 6 in Child Care Facilities and Schools
• Information for Contractors
• Fee Rule
• Information for Training Providers
• Information for Lead Test Kit Vendors
• Information for Realtors and Property Management Firms
• Related Notices, Final and Proposed Rules, and Background Information on EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule

EPA Requirements

Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children.

To protect against this risk, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning. Under the rule, beginning in April 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.

Until that time, EPA recommends that anyone performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools follow lead-safe work practices.

• All contractors should follow these three simple procedures:
  • Contain the work area.
  • Minimize dust.
  • Clean up thoroughly.
• Read EPA’s Regulations on Residential Property Renovation at 40 CFR 745.80, Subpart E.
• Read about lead-hazard information for renovation, repair and painting activities in the EPA lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB) | en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB)
• Read about lead-safe work practices for contractors in the EPA pamphlet Contractors: Lead Safety During Renovation (PDF) color, in English (2 pp, 826K) | color, en español (PDF) (2 pp, 334K) | HTML version | Other formats
• Read about how to comply with EPA’s rule in the EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) (34 pp, 2.5MB) | en español (PDF) (34 pp, 1.3MB).
• Find additional EPA publications and brochures on lead-safe renovation, repair and painting and on lead poisoning prevention.

Beginning in December 2008, the rule will require that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint provide to owners and occupants of child care facilities and to parents and guardians of children under age six that attend child care facilities built prior to 1978 the lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB). | en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB)

The rule will affect paid renovators who work in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, including:

• Renovation contractors
• Maintenance workers in multi-family housing
• Painters and other specialty trades.

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.

Read EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule.

View the implementation deadlines associated with the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule.

October 21, 2009 -– EPA is proposing to expand coverage of its 2008 Renovation, Repair and Painting rule as part of its ongoing commitment to eliminate lead poisoning. The proposed rule would eliminate an exemption from the RRP rule. Read about EPA’s action. The Agency will take comments on the proposal for 30 days.

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Information for States and Tribes

EPA headquarters has developed guidance documents to assist states and tribes that are applying to EPA for authorization to manage their own lead renovation, repair and painting programs (PDF) (122 pp, 257K).

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Information for Property Owners of Rental Housing, Child-Occupied Facilities

Property owners who renovate, repair, or prepare surfaces for painting in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must, before beginning work, provide tenants with a copy of EPA’s lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB). en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB). Owners of these rental properties must document compliance with this requirement — EPA’s sample pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 36K) may be used for this purpose.

After April 22, 2010, property owners who perform these projects in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must be certified and follow the lead-safe work practices required by EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Remodeling rule. To become certified, property owners must submit an application for firm certification (PDF) (9 pp, 642K) and fee payment to EPA. EPA will begin processing applications on October 22, 2009. The Agency has up to 90 days after receiving a complete request for certification to approve or disapprove the application. Read more about EPA’s rules and lead-safe work practices in EPA’s pamphlet Contractors: Lead Safety During Renovation (PDF) color, in English (2 pp, 826K) | color, en español (PDF) (2 pp, 334K) | HTML version | Other formats

Property owners who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs in 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 recordkeeping checklist (PDF) (1 pg, 58K) that EPA has developed to help contractors comply with the renovation recordkeeping 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) (34 pp, 2.5MB) | en español (PDF) (34 pp, 1.3MB).
• Read about how to use lead-safe work practices in EPA’s Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (PDF) (36 pp, 878K) | en español (PDF) (36 pp, 1.5MB).

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Information for Homeowners Working at Home

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 (20 pp, 3.3MB). | en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB). 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.

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Information for Tenants and Families of Children under Age 6 in Child Care Facilities and Schools

As a tenant or a parent or guardian of children in a child care facility or school, you should know your rights when a renovation job is performed in your home, or in the child care facility or school that your child attends.

• Before starting a renovation in residential buildings built before 1978, the contractor or property owner is required to have tenants sign a pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 36K), which indicates that the tenant received the Renovate Right lead hazard information pamphlet.
• Beginning in December 2008, the contractor must also make renovation information available to the parents or guardians of children under age six that attend child care facilities and schools, and to provide to owners and administrators of pre-1978 child care facilities and schools to be renovated a copy of EPA’s Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) lead hazard information pamphlet (20 pp, 3.3MB).

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Information for Contractors

As a contractor, you play an important role in helping to prevent lead exposure. Ordinary renovation and maintenance activities can create dust that contains lead. By following the lead-safe work practices, you can prevent lead hazards.

Contractors who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities 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 (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB) | en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB). Contractors must document compliance with this requirement?EPA?s pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 36K) may be used for this purpose.

Understand that after April 22, 2010, federal law will require you to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices. To become certified, renovation contractors must submit an application and fee payment to EPA.

• Application for firm certification (PDF) (9 pp, 642K)
  • Example application for a renovation firm (PDF) (2 pp, 299K)
  • Example combination application for a renovator and abatement firm (PDF) (2 pp, 211K)

EPA will begin processing applications on October 22, 2009. The Agency has up to 90 days after receiving a complete request for certification to approve or disapprove the application. Read more about EPA’s rules and lead-safe work practices in EPA’s pamphlet Contractors: Lead Safety During Renovation (PDF) color, in English (2 pp, 826K) | color, en español (PDF) (2 pp, 334K) | HTML version | Other formats

Contractors who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs should also:

• Take training to learn how to perform lead-safe work practices.
  • List of training providers that have been accredited by EPA to provide training for renovators under EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Program.
  • Please note that if you previously completed an eligible renovation training course you may take the 4-hour refresher course instead of the 8-hour initial course from an accredited training provider to become a certified renovator. Click here for a list of eligible courses.
• Provide a copy of your EPA or state lead training certificate to your client.
• Tell your client what lead-safe methods you will use to perform the job.
• Learn the lead laws that apply to you regarding certification and lead-safe work practices beginning in April 2010.
• Ask your client to share the results of any previously conducted lead tests.
• Provide your client with references from at least three recent jobs involving homes built before 1978.
• 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 recordkeeping checklist (PDF) (1 pg, 58K) that EPA has developed to help contractors comply with the renovation recordkeeping 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) (34 pp, 2.5MB) | en español (PDF) (34 pp, 1.3MB).
• Read about how to use lead-safe work practices in EPA’s Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (PDF) (36 pp, 878K) | en español (PDF) (36 pp, 1.5MB).

NOTE: Contractors and training providers working in Wisconsin, Iowa, or North Carolina must contact the state to find out more about its training and certification requirements. These states are authorized to administer their own RRP programs in lieu of the federal program.

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Fee Rule

On March 20, 2009, EPA issued a final rule to establish fees for the new Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. The rule establishes fees that are charged for training programs seeking accreditation, for firms engaged in renovations seeking certification, and for individuals (for example, risk assessors) or firms engaged in lead-based paint activities seeking certification. The rule applies only in those states and tribes without their own authorized lead programs. The rule also modifies and lowers fees for the Lead-based Paint Activities regulations. The fees were developed as required by section 402 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to recover the cost of administering and enforcing the law’s requirements. Read EPA’s fact sheet on the final rule.

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Information for Training Providers

Training Provider Application and Instructions (PDF) (13 pp, 1.1M) – Training providers applying for accreditation must submit a completed application and fee payment as described in the application instructions. The following list contains key information required in the application:

• Training program’s name, address, and telephone number;
• A list of courses that the training program is applying for accreditation;
• Statement certifying that the training program meets the requirements established by 40 CFR 745.225(c);
• Statement certifying the basis of the training curriculum (EPA approved or non-approved – if non-approved then include a course agenda and copies of the student and instructor manuals;
• A description of the training facilities and hands-on equipment used during training;
• A copy of the course test;
• A description of the activities and procedures that will be used to assess the skills associated with the hand-on component of the course;
• A copy of the quality control plan as required by 40 CFR 745.225(c)(9).

Instructions for Accredited Training Providers – This document provides EPA accredited renovator and dust sampling technician training providers instructions regarding:

• Certificate requirements and numbering protocol
• How to notify EPA of training activities
• Eligibility requirements for refresher training
• Instructions for digital photograph submission
• Recordkeeping requirements
• Cleaning verification cards

Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule Courses – These courses were developed by the U.S. EPA, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to train renovation, repair, and painting contractors and dust sampling technicians on how to comply with EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule, and HUD’s Lead Safe Housing rule. The Agency will not be developing a model Dust Sampling Technician refresher training at this time.

Cleaning Verification Cards. Trainers can obtain copies of the Cleaning Verification Cards by contacting the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).

NOTE: Contractors and training providers working in Wisconsin, Iowa, or North Carolina must contact the state to find out more about its training and certification requirements. These states are authorized to administer their own RRP programs in lieu of the federal program.

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Information for Lead Test Kit Vendors

Lead Test Kit Evaluation – EPA is evaluating the effectiveness of lead test kits by asking vendors to submit test kits for review to ensure fewer false negatives.

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Information for Realtors and Property Management Firms

Realtors and property managers should make themselves aware of the requirements in the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule. EPA is working closely with the National Association of Realtors to make realtors and property managers aware of the hazards of lead paint poisoning and ways to prevent it, and the association has developed a series of guidance videos aimed at realtors and property managers:

• View the National Association of Realtors lead paint renovation rule compliance guide overview
• View the National Association of Realtors lead renovation rule guide for real estate agents and brokers
• View the National Association of Realtors frequently asked questions for realtors
• View the National Association of Realtors lead renovation rule guide for property managers
• View the National Association of Realtors frequently asked questions for property managers

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Related Notices, Final and Proposed Rules, and Background Information on EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule

Read EPA’s July 15, 2009, Federal Register notice announcing a final rule to make minor revisions to the Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule. Read summary information on the final rule relating to requirements for training providers to submit photos of trainees.

Read other information related to the Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it has rejected a proposed ruling to add further testing requirements to an existing lead-paint rule.

Business-advocacy groups such as the National Association of Home Builders and the National Federation of Independent Business applauded the decision.

“We are pleased to see that the EPA listened to small-business owners in this instance,” said Dan Bosch, manager of regulatory policy for NFIB, in a statement. But he added that additional steps are still needed to relieve owners from complying with the existing rule.

In effect since May 2010, the rule requires businesses that repair or renovate older buildings—specifically homes, schools and daycare centers built prior to 1978—to adhere to strict lead-safe work practices. (For more on the rule, please read “New Lead-Paint Law Heavy on Budgets.”) The proposal shot down on Friday would have required contractors to take additional steps to demonstrate that dust-lead levels remaining in the work area are below regulatory levels.

In a statement, Bob Peterson, a spokesman for NAHB, said trained professional remodelers already use lead-safe work practices, and the existing clean-up method “has been shown to successfully minimize lead hazards and protect individuals from lead exposure.” The group is pleased that the EPA has maintained a “common sense approach to keeping families safe during renovation,” he said.

Last month, an online survey of 1,500 contractors indicated that the proposed additional steps would cost on average an extra $100 to $500 per project. It further suggested that passing this expense onto customers could hurt business for contractors since more than three-quarters of respondents said that their homeowner clients already look for ways to avoid compliance costs.

The EPA’s final ruling on Friday notes that the agency is promulgating several other revisions to the lead-paint rule, including a provision allowing a certified renovator to collect a paint chip sample and send it to a recognized laboratory for analysis in lieu of using a lead test kit.

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/in-charge/2011/07/18/epa-rejects-additional-lead-paint-rule/?mod=google_news_blog

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) July 07, 2011

Clearly, breaking the new law can hurt both RRP firms and their clients. Seattle-based painting contractor Shearer Painting announces it is EPA lead-safe certified and consistently employs the agency’s approved work methods. Shearer conducts lead-based repair, renovation, and house painting activities and has fall protection in compliance with OSHA. The company handles both interior and exterior painting projects with a deep dedication to environmentally sensitive practices. Find out how to find a certified lead renovator.

The Environmental Protection Agency reports on their press release website that significant fines have been levied against contractors not conducting lead safe practices as mandated by law. In April 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency formulated a new policy regarding firms that specialize in repair, renovation, or house painting. The RRP Rule, which took effect in April 2010, is designed to minimize both worker and client exposure to lead paint flakes or dust.

In buildings constructed before 1978, when the U.S. banned lead paint, RRP workers tend to generate a significant amount of lead debris. Those who work on apartment buildings, houses, child-care centers, and some schools must be trained in lead-safe practices, and their employer must be certified according to EPA requirements. The maximum fine for violating the law is $37,500 per violation per day. The RRP Rule requires workers to contain their work area, minimize dust, clean up thoroughly, and provide appropriate literature regarding lead safety to tenants or homeowners.

Although these demands seem like common sense, some firms still run afoul of the new law, usually to cut corners and save money. As reported by EPA inspector David Deegan, (617) 918-1017, through the EPA website; A contractor in Rockland, Maine, currently faces penalties for violating the RRP Rule during an October 2010 repainting project. According to inspectors from the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the contractor’s workers didn’t contain the debris created by their removal of lead paint. In addition, though he attended an EPA-approved eight-hour training course, the contractor failed to properly train and supervise his employees.

[full article]

Release date: 03/23/2011

Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

A Milford, Conn. company has agreed to pay $30,702 to settle claims by EPA that it failed to provide lead hazard information to home owners or occupants before doing renovations that may have disturbed surfaces coated with lead-based paint.

The settlement resolves claims made by EPA’s New England office that Permanent Siding and Windows, a contractor specializing in spray-on vinyl siding and replacing windows and doors, failed to provide EPA’s lead hazard information pamphlet to at least 17 owners or occupants before the company began renovation activities. This pamphlet is required by the federal Pre-Renovation Rule and helps educate home owners or occupants on how to minimize their exposure to hazardous lead dust that is often generated during sanding, cutting, demolition or other renovation activities. The pamphlet also provides resources for more information about lead. The violations in this case took place during renovation work done between January 2006 and March 2009.

Permanent Siding has certified that it is now in compliance with EPA’s Pre-Renovation rule and will submit a report to EPA later this year to demonstrate their continued compliance with this Rule.

“EPA requires companies to provide these pamphlets in order to protect families from health and safety hazards in the home,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “Property owners and occupants have a right to know about the dangers posed by renovations that involve lead.”

The federal lead law applies to all pre-1978 housing since, without testing, homes built before 1978 are presumed to contain lead-based paint. The settlement stems from a March 2009 EPA inspection and documentation Permanent Siding provided to the EPA.

More information: Lead Paint Assistance/Enforcement in New England (http://www.epa.gov/region1/enforcement/leadpaint/index.html)

Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/dfa3c2b788c125748525785c0065338b?OpenDocument

In Duval’s older rentals, EPA checks warnings on lead paint risks

Posted: January 12, 2011 – 7:45pm
By Steve Patterson

In Jacksonville’s older neighborhoods, an old worry – lead paint – is drawing attention from the federal government.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined the operators of four Jacksonville apartment complexes and a house-management company last year after concluding they violated a law that says property owners must tell tenants about any evidence of lead paint.

The last case was finalized in December.

EPA doesn’t know whether tenants at any of those buildings were ever exposed to decaying paints. But it will send inspectors to as many as 175 rental offices around the Southeast each year to audit lease records for disclosure forms that are supposed to be signed by tenants at any property built before 1978.

Related: EPA crackdown on greenhouse gases starts in Florida power plants

“Understand that this is a public health issue,” said Anthony Toney, chief of the lead and children’s health section at EPA’s regional office in Atlanta.

Lead poisoning can hurt a child’s brain development and cause neurological problems that can persist as the child grows up. Adults are less vulnerable but can also be harmed by chronic overexposure at high levels.

There were 11 cases of lead poisoning diagnosed among children under age 6 in Duval County in 2009, the most recent numbers available from the Florida Department of Health. Statewide, there were 190.

Jacksonville is on an EPA checklist because its mix of older housing, many young children and records of childhood lead poisoning have raised flags.

Inspectors say simply telling renters about potential risks in older homes and apartments helps them make informed decisions that can lower childhood exposure.

“The improvement in the protection of human health is what we’re after here,” Toney said.

That isn’t always how it looks to landlords.

“They scare the hell out [of you],” said H. Winship Dowell, a property manager who spent five years talking with EPA about inspection results he said he was told could lead to nearly $100,000 in fines.

He settled in April by agreeing to pay $11,000 for a single violation at a home off St. Augustine Road, without admitting any wrongdoing.

“They put this big, heavy hand of the government on you,” he said. “And they have a big, heavy hand.”

Dowell said he has managed rental homes for 25 years and consistently gives tenants all the information about lead paint the law requires. He said he has never known of any tenant experiencing lead poisoning.

He said he willingly opened his files to an inspector in 2005. He said the inspector seized on minor inconsistencies in paperwork, such as a tenant initialing a form in the wrong spot.

Dowell said he was terrified when told a series of mistakes like that at nine properties could cost him $11,000 apiece, which he said could ruin him.

The maximum fine per infraction now is $37,500.

In some cases, though, fines are modest, and Toney said his office sometimes simply mails warnings for landlords to correct shortcomings.

In 23 cases where EPA collected fines around the Southeast last year, the fines totaled $129,000, said agency spokeswoman Dawn Harris Young.

The three other companies that were fined last year in Jacksonville – one was cited for two apartment complexes – were each fined less than $2,000.

One of those, the Madison Apartment Group, also paid for lead testing that confirmed there was no lead to be found, said Loretta Kelly, general counsel for the parent company to the chain that owns Madison at Savannah Oaks at 6017 Roosevelt Blvd. and Madison at Bay Pointe at 4500 Baymeadows Road. The company was among three that agreed to perform about $33,000 worth of work at their complexes in addition to paying cash, Harris Young said.

The other complexes that settled disclosure cases in Jacksonville last year were Park View Place at 6226 Barnes Road S. and Grand Pointe Apartments at 5800 University Blvd. W., according to EPA records.

steve.patterson@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4263

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-01-12/story/duval%E2%80%99s-older-rentals-epa-checks-warnings-lead-paint-risks#ixzz1KYdVL354

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‘s Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule governing the work of professional remodelers in homes where there is lead-based paint was published in the Federal Register on Earth Day, April 22. The rule will take effect in April 2010.

The rule addresses remodeling and renovation projects disturbing more than six square feet of potentially contaminated painted surfaces for all residential and multifamily structures built prior to 1978 that are inhabited or frequented by pregnant women and children under the age of six.

It requires a cleaning inspection after the work is completed and grants the remodeler flexibility in determining the size of the work area, which can reduce the size of the area subject to containment.

The EPA rule also lists prohibited work practices ― including open-torch burning and using high-heat guns and high-speed equipment such as grinders and sanders unless equipped with a HEPA filter.

Additionally, the rule establishes required lead-safe work practices, including posting warning signs for occupants and visitors; using disposable plastic drop cloths; cleaning the work area with HEPA vacuuming and wet washing; and individual certification through a training course.

The full rule and brochures for consumers and renovators can be downloaded from the EPA’s Web site.

A 2006 NAHB study on lead-safe work practices showed that a home was better off after a remodel than before, as long as the work was performed by trained remodelers who clean the work area with HEPA-equipped vacuums, wet washing and disposable drop cloths.

Summary of the Rule

Review the points below for a quick summary of the new EPA lead paint rule.

1.      Training and Certification

Beginning in April 2010, firms working in pre-1978 homes will need to be certified. Along with the firm certification, an employee will also need to be certified as a Certified Renovator. This employee will be responsible for training other employees and overseeing work practices and cleaning. The training curriculum, which is currently under development by the EPA, will be an eight-hour class with two hours of hands-on training. Both the firm and Certified Renovator certifications are valid for five years. A Certified Renovator must take a four-hour refresher course to be recertified.

2.      Work Practices

Once work starts on a pre-1978 renovation, the Certified Renovator has a number of responsibilities. Before the work starts this person will post warning signs outside the work area and supervise setting up containment to prevent spreading dust. The rule lists specific containment procedures for both interior and exterior projects. It forbids certain work practices including open flame or torch burning, use of a heat gun that exceeds 1100°F, and high-speed sanding and grinding unless the tool is equipped with a HEPA exhaust control. Once the work is completed, the regulation specifies cleaning and waste disposal procedures. Clean up procedures must be supervised by a certified renovator.

3.      Verification and Record Keeping

After clean up is complete the certified renovator must verify the cleaning by matching a cleaning cloth with an EPA verification card. If the cloth appears dirtier or darker than the card the cleaning must be repeated.

A complete file of records on the project must be kept by the certified renovator for three years. These records include, but aren’t limited to: verification of owner/occupant receipt of the Renovate Right pamphlet or attempt to inform, documentation of work practices, Certified Renovator certification, and proof of worker training. NAHB believes that record keeping will be a major enforcement tool for the regulation.

4.      Exemptions

It is important to note that these work practices may be waived under these conditions:

• The home or child occupied facility was built after 1978.
• The repairs are minor, with interior work disturbing less than six square feet or exteriors disturbing less than 20 square feet being exempt.
• The homeowner may also opt out by signing a waiver if there are no children under age six frequently visiting the property, no one in the home is pregnant, or the property is not a child-occupied facility.
• If the house or components test lead free by a Certified Risk Assessor, Lead Inspector or Certified Renovator

Important Deadlines

December 2008:  
Remodelers must start distributing the new EPA pamphlet Renovate Right when working in pre-1978 houses.
April 2009:
Training providers may begin applying for accreditation. Once training providers are accredited, they may offer training courses that will allow renovators to become certified.
October 2009:
Renovation firms may begin applying to EPA for certification.
April 2010:
New rule becomes fully effective. Work practices must be followed.

For more information about this item, please contact Therese Crahan at 800-368-5242 x8211 or via e-mail at tcrahan@nahb.org.

Source: http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=118467

Lead Paint, Asbestos Hazards Lead to $46,000 Fine for Miss. Firm

“OSHA will not allow companies to endanger the safety and health of its workers as a means to reduce business expenses,” said Clyde Payne, OSHA’s area director in Jackson, Miss.

• Jan 30, 2011

OSHA has cited Roytex Inc. in Meridian, Miss., with 18 serious safety and health violations for exposing workers to electrical hazards, flaking lead paint, asbestos, and other hazards. Proposed fines total $46,340.

Following a safety inspection, OSHA has cited Roytex for 14 serious violations with a proposed penalty of $33,740. The hazards include failing to provide fixed stairs and railings where required; lack of a back-up alarm for a powered industrial truck; failing to block the wheels of trailers being loaded and unloaded; several electrical deficiencies; and failing to provide machine guarding at pinch points between the belt and pulley on the conveyor.

A separate health inspection revealed four serious violations with $12,600 in proposed penalties. These include failing to treat and label insulation-containing asbestos; monitoring for employee exposure to asbestos; failing to keep surfaces free from accumulation of lead from flaking and pealing wall paint; and failing to provide a written hazard communication program addressing how to work safely with hazardous chemicals.

“OSHA will not allow companies to endanger the safety and health of its workers as a means to reduce business expenses,” said Clyde Payne, OSHA’s area director in Jackson, Miss.

Roytex distributes clothing for men and boys.

Source: http://ohsonline.com/articles/2011/01/30/lead-paint-asbestos-hazards-lead-to-46000-fine-for-miss-firm.aspx