The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun its lead-safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) program. Under the RRP program, by April 2010, all firms who disturb lead paint as part of their work in homes, schools and other buildings built before 1978 must be EPA-certified.
The EPA says that all of these jobs must be supervised by a certified renovator who has completed an EPA-accredited one-day training course, and other employees will have to receive specific on-the-job training. The purpose of the RRP program is to help reduce childhood lead poisoning by working lead-safe.
According to the EPA, hundreds of contractors across the country have already taken the one-day accredited RRP training course and have become EPA-certified renovators. They learned how to protect themselves and their clients from lead contamination during renovation, repair and painting activities. After completing the training course, contractors can advertise that they are certified by EPA under the RRP program.
Some contractors may already be familiar with EPA requirements, and some may even be certified lead abatement contractors. However, even contractors with previous training and certification must be trained and certified under this new program. In some cases, a shorter “refresher” course may be adequate.
All contractors must be trained and certified by April 2010. To help contractors achieve certification, the EPA’s website over 50 accredited trainers at http://epa.gov/lead/pubs/trainingproviders.htm.
Contractors who have questions about the RRP rule or the certification process, can visit EPA’s Web site at www.epa.gov/lead or call the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) at 1-800-424-LEAD [5323].