Regulations REQUIRE testing of homes built before 1978. If a home was built before 1978, there is a good chance it has lead-based paint. In 1978, the federal government banned consumer uses of lead-containing paint. Lead from paint, including lead-contaminated dust, is one of the most common causes of lead poisoning. Lead paint is still present in millions of homes, sometimes under layers of newer paint. Demolition, renovation, repair or painting activities can create toxic lead dust when painted surfaces are disturbed or demolished. Painted surfaces must be properly sampled and analyzed prior to any work activities.
The Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule applies to all firms and individuals who are paid to perform renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb paint in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities. This includes home improvement contractors, maintenance workers, painters and other specialty trades.
The RRP Rule covers activities that modify an existing structure and that result in the disturbance of painted surfaces. All types of repair, remodeling, maintenance, modernization, and weatherization projects are covered, including projects performed as part of another Federal, State, or local program, if the projects meet the definition of ”renovation”. The term “renovation” includes (but is not limited to):
-Removing, modifying or repairing painted surfaces or painted components. Examples include modifying painted doors, surface restoration, window repair, and surface preparation activity like sanding and scraping that may generate paint dust.
-Removing building components such as walls, ceilings, plumbing, or windows.
-Weatherization projects such as cutting holes in painted surfaces to install blown-in insulation or to gain access to attics, or planing thresholds to install weather-stripping.
-Interim controls that disturb painted surfaces.
Emergency renovations are those performed in response to situations necessitating immediate action to address safety or public health hazards or threats of significant damage to equipment and/or property. The need for immediate action relieves firms from the pre-renovation education requirements. Likewise, emergency renovations are exempt from the warning sign, containment, waste handling, training, and certification requirements to the extent necessary to respond to the emergency. The cleaning, cleaning verification, and recordkeeping requirements still apply.