Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post

jmen24 · 06-18-2011, 05:27 PM

Songkrai, start here http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm

It is not a state law but a federal one and has come on in phases.

The first phase started over 10 years ago with taking care in lead areas.

Phase 2 was a requirement for contractors to present a lead safe pamphlet to the owners of a pre-1978 home that lead paint was likely in place and what the risks to them and there families was.

We are now at Phase 3, full implementation of the law that was signed in the 90's, with the requirement of certification.

A couple of things to note:

You as a homeowner can perform any amount of interior or exterior painting or renovation activities without being certified or having to test for lead paint in your home. It only applied to professionals performing the work under contract.

The initial Lead Test is not a requirement to start the work (when you take the cert class they go over this) in a pre-1978 home. It should be assumed to have Lead Paint and thus the proper handling is required.

I do not have the numbers right off my head, but it is spelled out on the EPA site, that if the work area being disturbed is less than a certain square footage amount (different for interior vs exterior) than abatement is not required. Whether a professional is performing the work or not.

The person on your job performing the work does not have to be lead certified, but they do require a lead safe supervisor to oversee all aspects of the work and to perform the final testing to ensure all lead dust has been abated and all required aspects of protecting the home have been met. Basically a laborer can demo your old painted kitchen cabinets without certification, but requires the oversite of a certified employee of the same company to ensure adherence to the law.

"Removed Text"

As the homeowner, you can expect to pay an additional 2-3 manhours for every 100sf of surface area needed abatement. This can add a substantial cost to your project.

It is no longer lawful under any conditions to burn off lead exterior paint. Most in the industry will know that this was very common place when dealing with exterior lead paint removal.

Review the EPA site if you own a home older than 1979 and are planning a renovation or would just like to know where you stand.

Also, any home that is older than 1982 can still have Asbestos. It was used for all sorts of things within the home such as: Linoleum flooring, steam pipe insulation, other forms of insulation, exterior siding and as an add mix in plaster. Care needs to be taken when working around Asbestos. If disturbance occurs than a full abatement of the area is required, by a licensed outfit, most contractors do not carry this level of certification and the fines are huge.

Belmont Resident, the homeowner does not carry the brunt of the fines, because the law requires the contractor to be licensed. If the homeowner hires an unlicensed contractor to knowingly perform lead paint abatement work does not matter. The law does not require the homeowner to verify certification, just that the contractor must be certified and abate properly.

Take the class, it is worth the effort. Yes it is expensive as you have to get certified personally and then certify the company as well.

06-18-2011, 05:27 PM	#9
jmen24 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,139 Thanks: 223 Thanked 319 Times in 181 Posts	Songkrai, start here http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm It is not a state law but a federal one and has come on in phases. The first phase started over 10 years ago with taking care in lead areas. Phase 2 was a requirement for contractors to present a lead safe pamphlet to the owners of a pre-1978 home that lead paint was likely in place and what the risks to them and there families was. We are now at Phase 3, full implementation of the law that was signed in the 90's, with the requirement of certification. A couple of things to note: You as a homeowner can perform any amount of interior or exterior painting or renovation activities without being certified or having to test for lead paint in your home. It only applied to professionals performing the work under contract. The initial Lead Test is not a requirement to start the work (when you take the cert class they go over this) in a pre-1978 home. It should be assumed to have Lead Paint and thus the proper handling is required. I do not have the numbers right off my head, but it is spelled out on the EPA site, that if the work area being disturbed is less than a certain square footage amount (different for interior vs exterior) than abatement is not required. Whether a professional is performing the work or not. The person on your job performing the work does not have to be lead certified, but they do require a lead safe supervisor to oversee all aspects of the work and to perform the final testing to ensure all lead dust has been abated and all required aspects of protecting the home have been met. Basically a laborer can demo your old painted kitchen cabinets without certification, but requires the oversite of a certified employee of the same company to ensure adherence to the law. "Removed Text" As the homeowner, you can expect to pay an additional 2-3 manhours for every 100sf of surface area needed abatement. This can add a substantial cost to your project. It is no longer lawful under any conditions to burn off lead exterior paint. Most in the industry will know that this was very common place when dealing with exterior lead paint removal. Review the EPA site if you own a home older than 1979 and are planning a renovation or would just like to know where you stand. Also, any home that is older than 1982 can still have Asbestos. It was used for all sorts of things within the home such as: Linoleum flooring, steam pipe insulation, other forms of insulation, exterior siding and as an add mix in plaster. Care needs to be taken when working around Asbestos. If disturbance occurs than a full abatement of the area is required, by a licensed outfit, most contractors do not carry this level of certification and the fines are huge. Belmont Resident, the homeowner does not carry the brunt of the fines, because the law requires the contractor to be licensed. If the homeowner hires an unlicensed contractor to knowingly perform lead paint abatement work does not matter. The law does not require the homeowner to verify certification, just that the contractor must be certified and abate properly. Take the class, it is worth the effort. Yes it is expensive as you have to get certified personally and then certify the company as well. Last edited by jmen24; 06-21-2011 at 08:53 AM.