That Rhode Island has a problem with lead paint is not news. That it is more severe than in most other states is also not a secret.
In Rhode Island, “we have a much larger problem to get our arms around” than other states, said Kent Ackley, president of the Rhode Island Lead Technicians Inc. in East Providence. The reason is simple. While lead paint was outlawed in the United States in 1977, 80 percent of the homes in Rhode Island are older than that, and thus likely to contain lead-based paint, Ackley said.
For that reason, Rhode Island is one of eight states that has more stringent regulations concerning lead abatement and the certification of people in the renovation trades than the federal government. In fact, anyone who does work on buildings with lead-based paints should have been certified by the state by April 22 to do lead abatement under threat of job-site shutdown, fines and other penalties, and legal liability should lead-related injuries or illnesses result.
But a recent extension of the deadline for compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, while a moot point in Rhode Island, has been a reminder to local building trades enterprises that they should have their staffs certified. And one Rhode Island building supplier is taking advantage of the conversation starter to bring more business to his store.
Bill Parvo, owner and operator of Parvo’s Paint & Flooring store in Middletown, is no expert on lead mitigation, but he is quickly becoming one.
At his paint store and decorating center on West Main Road, many of his customers are contractors employed in the building, renovation or painting trades. So, when he saw that enforcement of a federal regulation requiring all building contractors to be certified in lead mitigation had been delayed until Oct. 1, Parvo knew it was important to get the word out to as many people as possible employed in construction trades. And that is just what he did.
Parvo has compiled a simple flier available at his store that summarizes what a contractor needs to do to be in compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations on lead abatement, as well as what is needed for compliance with Rhode Island regulations. He hosted a lead-mitigation class at a nearby restaurant, attended by 27 people and taught by Ackley, who regularly teaches classes on lead laws for the Rhode Island Builders Association.
All contractors who perform renovation, repair or painting work in homes built before 1978 must follow lead-safe work practice requirements, according to the EPA. Until this year, a provision allowed exclusion from the federal regulation if the owner-occupants of a home under repair or construction had no children younger than 6 years old living there.
That provision was been removed from the law. As a result, the EPA intended to require all building contactors to be certified in lead-safe work practices by July 6. By that date, the federal agency had certified 254 training providers, who had conducted more than 16,000 courses nationwide and trained an estimated 320,000 renovators in lead safety.
However, “because of concern that contractors in some areas may be having difficulty accessing training classes,” the EPA decided to delay enforcement of the certification regulation until Oct. 1. Individual renovation workers will not be penalized if they apply to enroll in certified renovator classes by Sept. 30 and complete training by Dec. 31.
Lead-safe work includes dust control, site cleanup and work-area containment, according to the EPA, which notes harmful effects of lead on children and adults can include lower intelligence, learning disabilities, behavior issues, high blood pressure and headaches.
The lead-safe regulation has drawn fire from affected trade associations and some major retailers, who maintain the measure unduly burdens contracting businesses and warn that compliance will drive up the cost of remodeling and repairs. “This is most certainly true here,” Parvo said, “especially in the older neighborhoods of Newport.”
Ackley said he is seeing signs that the enforcement agency, the R.I. Department of Health, is taking steps to regularly check on contractor certification, including but not limited to site visits. He said he supports what Parvo is doing to alert contractors to the laws, because the more ways the word gets out, the better for all concerned. Parvo, who holds a contractor’s license, said he was notified in writing of the new federal regulation taking effect Oct. 1, but he does not recall receiving any written warning from the state regarding lead-safety certification.
At the store that he’s operated for 35 years, Parvo added a new line of products recently, all related to lead protection, which give some idea of how all-inclusive the regulations are. The products include barrier systems, cleaning supplies like sponges and pump sprayers, vacuums, sanders, scrapers, plastic sheeting, gloves and goggles, respirators, full-body suits with hood and boots, lead-check swab kits, sticky floor mats, warning signs and shoe covers.
All contractors, even painters, plumbers, electricians and carpenters, must be certified in lead-safety practices, Parvo said, because the law applies to “anyone who disturbs a certain amount of square-footage inside and outside in houses built before 1978.”
Not only does the price of a lead-protection class add to the cost of doing business for a contractor – the classes cost roughly $150 to $175 for an eight-hour session – the regulations themselves require methods sure to add to any work budget. For instance, Parvo mentioned that sometimes a house must be encapsulated in plastic while repair work is under way, particularly if it is near a school or child-care facility.
As another example, he said the EPA requires that a licensed lead-safe contractor be available at all times at all work sites. So if a remodeler has four jobs going on at once, then four workers certified in lead safety must be on the job, meaning that a business owner may have to certify his entire crew. •
