Understanding the lead law

I recently completed a course through the Jackson County Home Builders Association to become a certified renovator of homes with lead based paint. As some people know, and most don’t, a federal law that changes the way everyone in the trades works around houses built in and before 1978 just went into effect last April. Everyone needs to be informed about this new change so they know what to expect as a client or as a contractor. Managing expectations is the key to a successful project.

All contractors that plan on working on homes built during or before 1978 must take this course and become certified through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the future, you will need this certification to pull a building permit when remodeling a home built in and before 1978. The law is in place to persuade contractors to contain and clean their work areas much more extensively than before. On these projects we will test for lead prior to any work taking place, and make a plan to limit the disturbance. If there is no lead, great! We get started and do the ridiculously clean, thorough, high quality work we always do.

If lead is present we continue on with our work, but in a different manner. The steps to comply with the law will be different for all projects. For example, on a small window replacement project, we would put plastic down on the ground inside and outside of the window. Plus, we would put up plastic walls making a small room on the interior of the house around the particular window we are working on. Every step along the way is done while thinking of limiting the dust. We do this by misting an area before scraping, using shrouds to cover our power tools that are connected to our HEPA vacuums. We also meticulously vacuum all areas and surfaces during the window replacement. That is a HEPA vacuum, NOT a shop Vac with a HEPA filter. There is a BIG difference! All surfaces that have been subject to dust and not been covered with plastic are wiped down and cleaned, then checked by a certified renovator for approval. After approval, we move all coverings and our plastic room to the next window.

There are other small details, like submitting all the proper paperwork to the client before, during and upon completion of the project, but I think you get the idea. In my opinion, it is good that we are taking the extra steps to contain possible lead in your home. This is something we should have been doing years ago. Clients need to understand that this extra work takes extra time, tools, knowledge, and certifications. Please make sure the contractor you hire is a certified renovator. If they are not trained, they will not know how to take the time to do the necessary steps to keep your home a safe place during your remodel. This is serious business, so treat it seriously.

This is a link to an informational pamphlet that we will be handing all potential clients when their home falls in the guidelines: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/steps.pdf.

Also visit the EPA’s website for a list of Frequently Asked Questions here: http://toxics.custhelp.com/

Please feel free to call me with any questions.