RRP and the Painting Industry – PDCA Requests Your Involvement
Earlier this year, the PDCA Commercial Forum took on the duties of managing a Work Group to address the proposed expansion of the EPA’s RRP rules and to provide more direct involvement, on behalf of PDCA, with the painting industry and others regarding existing RRP rules. The proposed rule changes include interiors and exteriors of commercial and public buildings. The members of the PDCA RRP Work Group include contractor members Mark Casale, Hingham Painting & Decorating located in Accord, MA; Ronald Yarbrough, Pro Spec Painting in Vineland, NJ; Steven Fountaine, Premiere Painting in Washington DC; Subject Matter Expert: Burt Olhiser, Vantage Point Consulting and myself as knowledgeable administrator for the Work Group.
The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rules currently mandate firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools be certified by EPA and that they use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers to follow lead-safe work practices. Individuals can become certified renovators by taking an eight-hour training course from an EPA-approved training provider. Several States havetaken over management of RRP, which in turn adds even more requirements and costs. The EPA is working to expand the RRP Rules to Commercial and Public buildings.
Upon review of the RRP rule and the proposed expansion to public and commercial building exteriors, the PDCA RRPWork Group has concluded that the EPA has made several unreasonable assumptions in both the current RRP rule and the proposed expansion.
- The “protection of children” concept has been greatly misused.
- The empirical justification or science used to validate the rule making is inaccurate and unfounded.
- The cost and benefit analysis is to say the least incorrect.
To learn more, access a PDCA position paper and use materials to engage and educate your elected and appointed officials, go to www.pdca.org/rrp
How You Can Help? Get More Involved – It’s Easy
Go to www.pdca.org/rrp First, we need you to help spread the word by sharing this web address with everyone you know in the painting industry, both contractors and vendors. By activating more industry vendors, we hope they will spread the word to their contractor customers. Second, complete the painting industry RRP survey, available until February 1, 2012. Regardless of your painting industry focus, and whether you complete work on older residential and child occupied buildings or not, we need you to complete the short survey which will take just minutes to complete. Third, we need your help in engaging elected officials and others to make them aware of the PDCA’s position on RRP. Use the resources on the website to send a letter to your congress person and State elected officials and appointed officials.
Help spread the word to everyone you know within the painting industry. Give them a call or send them an email asking them to get involved by visiting www.pdca.org/rrp
Brandt Domas is an energized construction industry and service business consultant, initiator, trainer and producer who also serves as the Executive Director of the PDCA Commercial Forum and is managing PDCA’s RRP Work Group.
