Page 13 - Journal14_Neat
P. 13
ovate Right, continued...
RRP Rules apply, but are not limited, to: penalties. The U.S. Occupational Health and
Painters; Remodeling Contractors; Electricians; Safety Administration cited an Atlanta contractor
Plumbers; Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning during December 2013 and levied a penalty of
Contractors; Maintenance Workers; Landlords; $14,000 for failure to comply with their lead
and Weatherization Contractors. Hiring or worker protection standard (29CFR1926.62)
becoming a Certified Lead RRP Contractor can during a residential renovation project. EPA
help protect property value, assure announced in another press release on February
professionalism, ensure compliance with federal 18, 2014 that they had just taken action against
and state laws, maintain safety, and protect 35 additional violators of their Lead RRP
owner’s and children’s Standards and imposed new
health. According to the There are several reasons to hire a penalties totaling $274,000
Economic Policy Institute, Certified Lead RRP Contractor, or against those violators.
become qualified to do renovation,
for every dollar spent on repair or painting on a pre-1978 The Georgia Lead-Based
residence or child-occupied facility: Paint and Asbestos Program
controlling lead hazards, issues 12 to 18 Notices of
between $17 and $221 Protect the property value. Violations per month with
would be returned in health Protect children’s health. penalties up to several
benefits, increased IQ, Protect adult health. hundreds of dollars for some
higher lifetime earnings, tax Maintain the safety of the home or of the violations and the
revenue, less spending on required correction of all
special education, and child-occupied facility. violations. Most are issued to
reduced criminal activity1. Assure professionalism.
It is the law.
Contractors and contractors; however, some
employees certified for RRP activities are trained are issued to the home owner who allowed or
to avoid creating lead hazards during their caused lead-containing paint chips to be
projects. To become certified, the supervisor generated and accumulate on their property.
must take an approved eight-hour course. That Open dumping violations trigger the Real Estate
course teaches them how to: test to see if the Disclosure requirement, and can potentially affect
paint/coatings contain lead; train others who work their property value for a long time. It is an
for them; set up a work space to prevent the unanticipated expense to all involved parties.
spread of lead dust; use work methods that Do the Georgia RRP requirements make the
generate a minimum amount of dust; clean up project cost prohibitive? The cost is minor in
safely after the work is completed; check the work comparison to the cost and heartache of
area to make sure that no lead dust remains; poisoning a child, family member, employee, or
keep and share the required lead and project even a pet, then also being stuck with clean-up
information and records. Renovator/Supervisor
are indications of having additional qualifications costs and reduced property value.
to perform these activities in a compliant and Ignorance or neglect of these potential
professional manner. hazards can be both harmful and expensive. It is
Lead-safety requirements will increase project not easy or quick to educate 38 million home
costs by a small percentage. The additional costs owners plus additional child-occupied facility
cover professional training and certification, some owners, especially landlords. Members of the
materials such as plastic sheeting to prevent lead environmental profession are in an excellent
dust from spreading, and some extra time to set position to help accomplish this justifiable social
up, work and clean up safely. Good contractors need. The EPA booklets titled Renovate Right
already spend time and money to complete a job and Protect Your Family From Lead In Your
safely and well; the RRP Rules simply help make
Home are two of the readily available tools.
sure their methods are lead-safe. Georgia Environmental Protection Division
A contractor or owner violating the federal Lead-Based Paint & Asbestos Program
EPA or Georgia Lead Rules is subject to www.gaepd.org/Documents/index_land.html
regulatory actions up to and including monetary
404-363-7026
14 Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36
RRP Rules apply, but are not limited, to: penalties. The U.S. Occupational Health and
Painters; Remodeling Contractors; Electricians; Safety Administration cited an Atlanta contractor
Plumbers; Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning during December 2013 and levied a penalty of
Contractors; Maintenance Workers; Landlords; $14,000 for failure to comply with their lead
and Weatherization Contractors. Hiring or worker protection standard (29CFR1926.62)
becoming a Certified Lead RRP Contractor can during a residential renovation project. EPA
help protect property value, assure announced in another press release on February
professionalism, ensure compliance with federal 18, 2014 that they had just taken action against
and state laws, maintain safety, and protect 35 additional violators of their Lead RRP
owner’s and children’s Standards and imposed new
health. According to the There are several reasons to hire a penalties totaling $274,000
Economic Policy Institute, Certified Lead RRP Contractor, or against those violators.
become qualified to do renovation,
for every dollar spent on repair or painting on a pre-1978 The Georgia Lead-Based
residence or child-occupied facility: Paint and Asbestos Program
controlling lead hazards, issues 12 to 18 Notices of
between $17 and $221 Protect the property value. Violations per month with
would be returned in health Protect children’s health. penalties up to several
benefits, increased IQ, Protect adult health. hundreds of dollars for some
higher lifetime earnings, tax Maintain the safety of the home or of the violations and the
revenue, less spending on required correction of all
special education, and child-occupied facility. violations. Most are issued to
reduced criminal activity1. Assure professionalism.
It is the law.
Contractors and contractors; however, some
employees certified for RRP activities are trained are issued to the home owner who allowed or
to avoid creating lead hazards during their caused lead-containing paint chips to be
projects. To become certified, the supervisor generated and accumulate on their property.
must take an approved eight-hour course. That Open dumping violations trigger the Real Estate
course teaches them how to: test to see if the Disclosure requirement, and can potentially affect
paint/coatings contain lead; train others who work their property value for a long time. It is an
for them; set up a work space to prevent the unanticipated expense to all involved parties.
spread of lead dust; use work methods that Do the Georgia RRP requirements make the
generate a minimum amount of dust; clean up project cost prohibitive? The cost is minor in
safely after the work is completed; check the work comparison to the cost and heartache of
area to make sure that no lead dust remains; poisoning a child, family member, employee, or
keep and share the required lead and project even a pet, then also being stuck with clean-up
information and records. Renovator/Supervisor
are indications of having additional qualifications costs and reduced property value.
to perform these activities in a compliant and Ignorance or neglect of these potential
professional manner. hazards can be both harmful and expensive. It is
Lead-safety requirements will increase project not easy or quick to educate 38 million home
costs by a small percentage. The additional costs owners plus additional child-occupied facility
cover professional training and certification, some owners, especially landlords. Members of the
materials such as plastic sheeting to prevent lead environmental profession are in an excellent
dust from spreading, and some extra time to set position to help accomplish this justifiable social
up, work and clean up safely. Good contractors need. The EPA booklets titled Renovate Right
already spend time and money to complete a job and Protect Your Family From Lead In Your
safely and well; the RRP Rules simply help make
Home are two of the readily available tools.
sure their methods are lead-safe. Georgia Environmental Protection Division
A contractor or owner violating the federal Lead-Based Paint & Asbestos Program
EPA or Georgia Lead Rules is subject to www.gaepd.org/Documents/index_land.html
regulatory actions up to and including monetary
404-363-7026
14 Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36
