Interview turned RRP Lead-Safe

Interview was turned RRP Lead-Safe by Tampa Contractor Phil's Handy Service, Inc.

In an Interview with the Tampa Tribune, Mr. Garcia of Phil's Handy Service, Inc. was asked the following question:

Q: What are some do's and don't for remodeling?
 
A: When homeowners are remodeling their homes themselves, the most important "do" is safety.
        I know that big box stores will tell everybody that they can do it themselves and they will tell them how, but there are a lot of toxic substances in homes, especially those built before 1978. Lead is the number one issue right now and can be very dangerous. Anyone working on a house built before 1978, by federal law, has to be Environmental Protection Agency lead-safe certified.
      If they are going to disturb anything with more than a 6-square- foot painted surface on the inside or 20 square feet on the outside, they have to be certified with the EPA and have a certification number in order to do that. That being said, the homeowners can do the work themselves, but they need to educate themselves on how to properly contain the lead so they do not expose their children to harmful lead dust.
    When clients call me for a remodeling job, they either know exactly what they want to install or they ask me to walk them through the process. Though it's not necessary, it is helpful for customers to come to me with a clear vision of the finished product.



Source:
Tampa Tribune, Your Home, Sunday, March 31,2013

PhilsHandyService.com

EPA RRP enforcement inspectors manned a booth at the Remodeling Show

Manning a booth at a Remodeling Show - Wow!

How about this:

 A drive down any historic neighborhood here in Tampa.

I was told by a City Inspector that I was the only Contractor  who he has seen following the RRP rule and implementing the EPA’s Lead safe criteria on any job he has inspected.

 Last year I had to go in front of the historical board for approval to install a door. The board had no idea that the lead safe laws were in effect. I handed them a renovate right pamphlet and told them they should know about this, as 100% of the jobs that they approve contain lead paint somewhere.

I will always follow the law even if I am the only Contractor in Tampa Florida that cares enough to inform and protect my clients.

http://www.thecontractorcoachingpartnership.com/Blog-Contractor-Coaching--Construction-Business-Coach-EPA-RRP-Lead-Rule/bid/60412/EPA-RRP-enforcement-inspectors-at-the-Remodeling-Show?goback=%2Egde_3343380_member_174907921

RRP Lead -Safe and MSNBC Make over show

I saw a couple of remodelers from a company called Synergy Total Home in MA on MSNBC this morning. I think it was called make over my business. Please correct me if I'm wrong. What I saw were two guys that were barely making their remodeling business work. The television show introduced them to a web designing company, which remade their website, then to a lawyer who basically told them that their business was a train wreck ready to happen, because they were not Incorporated or covered by an LLC, and  that they expose themselves to great personal liability. Now I understand that advice .After that they were introduced to an architect who said: “Let’s have lunch.”

 Now it’s all a wonderful story, except I heard that the state of Massachusetts was a little hard-nosed when it came to protecting their citizens from lead paint exposure. I could not find any information on the website pertaining to lead safe work practices, or any special lead certification state or EPA .Not once in the whole show  did I hear anybody talk about the EPA RRP rules, or any dust containment at all. What I do understand it is the EPA does not care if you’re Incorporated or not. If you are doing renovations that include lead and you're not RRP lead safe certified, the federal government can hold you personally responsible for any worker, child or homeowner you exposed to lead dust. The same thing goes with the house flippers. You know what I'm talking about. Everybody has seen the infomercials “You can make millions by flipping houses. We can show you how to do it without any licensing”. Well we all know that's not the truth. The EPA RRP rules cover everyone:  House flippers, contractors, plumbers, electricians, handyman, landlords, maintenance workers or anyone who disturbs lead or presumed lead paint. Now that the CDC has lowered the threshold for medical monitoring to 5 mL per deciliter in children, you would think that MSNBC would've been asking those questions, especially to a remodeling company.

Lead-Safe Remodeling 

H.R. 5911: To amend the Toxic Substances Control Act relating to lead-based paint renovation

H.R. 5911:  Amend the Toxic Substances Control Act relating to lead-based paint renovation (RRP)

Introduced	Jun 07, 2012
Referred to Committee	Jun 07, 2012
Reported by Committee	(not yet occurred)
Passed House	(not yet occurred)
Passed Senate	(not yet occurred)
Signed by the President	(not yet occurred)
This bill was assigned to a congressional committee on June 7, 2012, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.

Prognosis:

This bill has a 3% chance of being enacted. The following factors were considered:There is at least one cosponsor from the majority party and one cosponsor outside of the majority party. (+2%)The sponsor is a member of the majority party. (+1%) Just 4% of all House bills in 2009–2010 were enacted

Info From Govtrack.us

Lead Safe Tampa

Latest Lead paint news

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the CDC cut the amount of lead that will trigger medical monitoring and other actions in half for children the age group 0f 1 to 5.

The old trigger was 10 micrograms per deciliter of lead in a child’s blood, is now 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in their blood will be considered at risk.  The CDC also said the new guidelines increase the patient population nationwide to about 442,000 from about 77,000 using the latest CDC data available. 

Landlord Baltimore landlord gets prison for lead-paint violations

Cephus Murrell, 69, of Catonsville sat as U.S. District Court imposed the sentence, of one year and a day which included six months' home detention after release from prison.  Murrell pleaded guilty in federal court in July to three misdemeanor violations of the Toxic Substances Control Act. He had been charged with failing to notify his tenants of lead-paint hazards in their units, for conducting an abatement in one unit while children were present, potentially exposing them to lead dust, and for falsely certifying that abatement work was being done with proper supervision. All after twenty lead-paint violation notices by environmental agencies.

I hope everyone’s paper work is up to date and they have been following the LAW ! 

EPA Fines Violators of RRP Rule

EPA Fines Violators of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule

Release Date: 04/05/2012
Contact Information: Stacy Kika, Kika.stacy@epa.gov, 202-564-0906, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced three enforcement actions for violations of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP) and other lead rules. The RRP rule requires the use of lead-safe work practices to ensure that common renovation activities like sanding, cutting and demolition, which can create hazardous lead dust, are conducted properly by trained and certified contractors or individuals. EPA finalized the RRP rule in 2008 and the rule took effect on April 22, 2010.

“Exposure to lead can cause serious health problems and affects our most vulnerable population, our children,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “By taking action to enforce lead rules we are protecting people’s health and ensuring that businesses that follow the rules have a level playing field.”

On March 21, 2012, Colin Wentworth, a rental property owner who was responsible for building operation and maintenance, agreed to pay $10,000 to resolve violations of the RRP rule. The complaint alleged that Mr. Wentworth’s workers violated the rule by improperly using power equipment to remove paint from the exterior surface of an 1850’s apartment building he owns in Rockland, Maine. The complaint also alleged that the workers had not received any training under the rule and that Mr. Wentworth had failed to apply for firm certification with the EPA. Because the lead dust had not been properly contained, residents were potentially exposed and the dust could have also contaminated the ground surrounding the apartment building. Two of the four units in the building were rented to recipients of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 vouchers and there were at least four children under the age of 18, including one under the age of six, living in the units. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also responded to the alleged violations.

On March 20, 2012, Valiant Home Remodelers, a New Jersey window and siding company, agreed to pay $1,500 to resolve violations from failing to follow the RRP rule during a window and siding replacement project at a home in Edison, N.J. Valiant Home Remodelers failed to contain renovation dust, contain waste, and train workers on lead-safe work practices.

On February 21, 2012, Johnson Sash and Door, a home repair company located in Omaha, Neb., agreed to pay a $5,558 penalty for failing to provide the owners or occupants of housing built prior to 1978 with an EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet or to obtain a written acknowledgement prior to commencement of renovation activities at five homes. The complaint also alleged that Johnson failed to obtain initial certification prior to performing renovations at these residences.

As required by the law, a company or individual’s ability to pay a penalty is evaluated and penalties are adjusted accordingly.

These recent actions are part of EPA’s effort to ensure that contractors and individuals follow the RRP requirements and other lead rules to protect people’s health from exposure to lead. Lead exposure can cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities to seizures and death, putting young children at the greatest risk because their nervous systems are still developing.