Lead

Removal of Lead Containing Material (LCM) is a very specialized and regulated service. On April 22, 2010 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a rule requiring workers to be certified and trained in the use of lead-safe work practices and renovation, repair, and painting firms to be EPA-certified.

Full Circle Restoration is a US EPA Lead Safe Certified Firm. FCR follows the US EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (RRP) for Contractors and employs professionals who have participated in and passed the Lead Renovation Course Certification. Confirm our US EPA Lead-Safe Certification for Lead Renovation issued by the State of Georgia.

When providing emergency response to a fire, water damage, storm related incident, or any property damage related loss, Full Circle technicians must first understand the environment they are working in. In many cases, this involves the necessity of discrete sample collection for testing of materials in areas that might contain lead including construction materials or debris containing lead-based paint.

Additionally, it is important for our mitigation and restoration/reconstruction crews to become aware of specialized construction techniques/methods used in affected rooms/areas with special purpose such as found in healthcare environments where x-ray shielding/lead lined walls are common or in the manufacturing or decommissioning of ammunition or other products where lead is a common component.

Emergency Provision:
The RRP Rule has limited applicability during emergency situations. Specifically, 40 CFR § 745.82(b) provides:

“The information distribution requirements in §745.84 do not apply to emergency renovations, which are renovation activities that were not planned but result from a sudden, unexpected event (such as non-routine failures of equipment) that, if not immediately attended to, presents a safety or public health hazard, or threatens equipment and/or property with significant damage. Interim controls performed in response to an elevated blood lead level in a resident child are also emergency renovations. Emergency renovations other than interim controls are also exempt from the warning sign, containment, waste handling, training, and certification requirements in §§745.85, 745.89, and 745.90 to the extent necessary to respond to the emergency. Emergency renovations are not exempt from the cleaning requirements of §745.85(a)(5), which must be performed by certified renovators or individuals trained in accordance with §745.90(b)(2), the cleaning verification requirements of §745.85(b), which must be performed by certified renovators, and the recordkeeping requirements of §745.86(b)(6) and (b)(7).”

Older Buildings (built prior to 1978):
According to the US EPA website, older homes are more likely to contain lead-based paint and under the 40 CFR Part 745 – Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention in Certain Residential Structures – Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (RRP) Rule, which requires that contractors or others engaged in “activities in homes or child-occupied facilities (such as day care centers and kindergartens) built prior to 1978 be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices, and use these work practices to guard against lead contamination.”

Lead – US Laws and Regulations:

US EPA Weblinks & PDFs:

Helpful Information from the US EPA – The following links, brochures, documents and pamphlets contain valuable information about Lead Renovation and is provided here for your convenience.

Renovation, Repair and Painting Program:

Know Your Rights Before You Buy or Lease:

Know Your Responsibilities Before You Sell or Lease:

Property Managers:

Residential Homeowners, Buyers, Renters, Child Care & Schools:

Child-Occupied Facilities & Homes:

Note: The “Protect Your Family” document is also available in: Spanish, Arabic, French, Chinese, Russian, Somali and Vietnamese.

“DIY – Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting”

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/steps.pdf https://www.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program-do-it-yourselfers

Consider Hiring a Certified Lead Abatement Contractor or Inspector https://www.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program-do-it-yourselfers#rrp

Anytime you cut into surfaces painted with lead paint, even if the paint is covered by layers of newer paint, you risk creating hazardous lead dust. You can reduce the risk of lead exposure in your home by hiring a certified lead inspector to check to see if there is lead paint in the area of your work. If there is lead, then you may want to have a trained and certified lead abatement contractor perform an abatement to remove the lead from the area before you begin work.