As of July 8, 2010, all contractors performing renovation,
repair or painting work in homes built before 1978 must be trained in, and
follow, the agency's lead-safe work practice requirements. However, the agency
announced it will hold off enforcement of its rule due to the difficulty of
getting everyone trained in time.
The rule removes a provision from existing regulations that
allowed owner-occupants of pre-1978 homes to "opt-out" of having
their contractors follow lead-safe work practices if there were no children
under six years of age in the home.
Because of concern that contractors in some areas may be
having difficulty accessing training classes, the EPA recently announced that
it is providing renovation firms and workers additional time to obtain training
and certifications to comply with the new lead rules. The agency will not take
enforcement action for violations of the rule's firm certification requirement
until Oct. 1, 2010, and will not enforce certification requirements against
individual renovation workers if they apply to enroll in certified renovator
classes by Sept. 30, 2010 and complete the training by Dec. 31, 2010.
According the EPA, the agency eliminated the so-called
opt-out provision because improper renovations in older homes can create lead
hazards resulting in harmful health effects for residents and visitors in these
homes, regardless of age.
The RRP rule requires certification of training providers
and lead-safe work practice certification for individuals involved in the
construction and remodeling industry. To date, the agency has certified 254
training providers who have conducted more than 16,000 courses and trained an
estimated 320,000 renovators in lead-safe work practices.
The agency will continue to take enforcement actions against
renovation firms and individuals who do not comply with the RRP work practices
and associated recordkeeping requirements. The lead-safe work practices include
dust control, site clean up and work area containment.
More information on the lead RRP program is available at
http://www.epa.gov/lead.
Source:
EPA
Press Release
