Did you know that in less than 60 days on April 22, 2010, there is a the new federal lead law going into effect that will impact you, your insureds and the contractors providing services? Humor me… look at the desk or workstation that you are sitting at.  Do you think it is more than 6 square feet of space? It's not a very big area, but that's the amount of area that will come under the new regulations laid out by the EPA.

Lead poisoning risks are not new, but the enforcement and expanded regulations being introduced by the EPA are:

• Lead exposure can harm young children and babies even before they are born.
• Even children who seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies.
• You can get lead in your body by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil or paint chips containing lead.
• You have many options for reducing lead hazards. In most cases, lead-based paint that is in good condition is not a hazard.
• Removing lead-based paint improperly can increase the danger to your family.
• DISTURBING LEAD BASED PAINT (Demolition of drywall, removal of trim, painted doors and casings, windows and casings, siding...)
• Air movers placed on a water loss blowing across compromised lead based paint or demolition operations required to stabilize a water damaged structure.
• Demolition operations associated with fire damage mitigation

Regulations apply to “pre 1978 construction” and the requirements are specifically targeted at “child occupied structures”. The new law will require contractors to become EPA Lead Certified Renovators if they perform work operations related to renovations/repairs/painting on structures built pre-1978, in housing and child-occupied facilities where there is a possibility of disturbing more than six square feet, and on interior surface covered with lead paint.

Each project that falls under these regulations will require an EPA Lead Licensed Supervisor to oversee the work site.

The law also requires the licensed contractor to do post-work testing on the property to ensure that no lead residue or dust is present after the work is performed.  This “clearance testing” is performed to assure the lead risk (lead dust) has been effectively abated.

Enforcement: Non-compliance carries a civil fine of $37,500 for each violation of the rule assessed per day of a violation. A firm could easily accumulate multiple violations on a single project. According to the regulations, homeowners can also sue contractors to force compliance and reportedly can collect attorney’s fees and expenses.

In light of these regulations, it is important to note that RestorePro associates have always been compelled to exercise care because health and safety are core values of RestorePro.  We care about our clients, our technicians, and our environment.

When you refer RestorePro, you can be confident that we are addressing all risks that should be mitigated.  Competence matters more than ever in this age of health, safety, and environmental concern.  Think RestorePro - you can count on us!

Additional Resources:

http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadpdfe.pdf
http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm