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EPA Lead Law: What You Must Know Before You Renovate or Repair Older Properties

If you pay someone to repair or remodel commercial or residential property built before 1978 or are making renovations or repairs to child occupied properties built before 1978, you are required to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency's Renovation, Repair & Painting (RRP) Lead Law - legislation that became effective on April 22, 2010.

ommercial and residential home remodeling, repair and renovation activities including sanding, cutting, and demolition. These activities can create hazardous lead dust and chips which can be harmful to children and adults. In fact, lead dusting less than 1/16 of a sugar packet will cause irreparable damage to a child's nervous system, cerebral function and general well being. For this reason, any activity that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities are subject to this RRP Lead Law.

What RRP means to you...

• Wood or any painted surface being repaired, renovated or painted (RRP) is assumed to be lead contaminated.
• This applies to all painted surfaces inside or outside your property.
• For interior work, the work area must be lead dust sealed and contained for 6 feet of the work area.
• For exterior projects, the sealing and containment distance is 10 feet around the work area.
• Specific disposal and wipe clean test methods with the assist of a HEPA vacuum are required for all interior and exterior projects.
• At the completion of the job, a retest for lead dusting residue is required.
• Penalties for noncompliance are $37,500 for each infraction.

Within this law affecting repairs and renovations to residential properties, schools and childcare facilities, are activities that include:

Home Improvement Contractor or Hired Worker Requirements ...

According to the RRP Lead Law, anyone paid to repair, replace or paint in or outside of homes and child occupied facilities built before 1978 must be certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Renovation, Remodeling & Painting Rule.

or your protection, all home improvements and repairs of painted structures should be performed by certified lead removal contractors. The new law requires that contractors remodeling and repairing homes, schools and child care structures complete an EPA Renovation, Repairs and Painting course, pass the RRP certification test and file with the federal government for proper licensing. This assures lead-safe work practice standards to prevent lead contamination.

Home repair and renovation contractors and commercial contractors providing services to schools and child care facilities built before 1978 are required to adhere to the following procedures:

Prior to Starting Work on a Residential or Child Occupied Property Built Prior to 1978:

Your contractor should give you a consumer information pamphlet detailing all aspects for the RRP lead law and what you can expect. Further questions can also immediately be answered by going to this hyper link at http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/sbcomplianceguide.pdf

MasterCraft became of the first EPA certified Lead Removal Contractors Providing Commercial and Home Remodeling and Repair Services in the Greater Boston area.

Hi. I'm John O'Brien, owner of MasterCraft and specialty contractor serving the Greater Boston area. If your school, childcare facility or home was built before 1978, please call on me to assist you with commercial and home remodeling repair services.

Besides having a reputation for excellence in home building and remodeling for commercial and home renovations, I am the father of two children and deeply committed to protecting families and the environment from lead contamination. That is why my company, MasterCraft was one of the first home improvement contractors to achieve this EPA certification.

In addition to providing roofing and gutters, vinyl siding, James Hardie fiber cement siding and Energy Star window replacement contractor services, MasterCraft has over 20 years of experience with home bathroom remodeling and finish interior molding and trim carpentry including crown molding installation, molding chair rail, baseboard trim and raised panel wainscoting.

We specialize in making ordinary homes into aesthetically beautiful, safe and resilient exteriors and interiors with a harmonizing ambiance that welcomes and uplifts your spirit. Complete the no obligation form below and ask me for a free quote for your school, child care facility or home remodeling repair project.