Who must be a Certified Renovator?
All construction and remodeling activity that falls within the scope of the rule must be directed by a Certified Lead Renovator. Each Firm, or company doing business, must have at least one certified individual. This is simply a designation that is received after completing an 8-hour EPA approved Lead Paint Training course. You may be wondering how many people in your company need certification? That is really dependent on how many projects you do simultaneously that are affected by the rule. If you only do one project at a time, you may only need one person with the certification. If your company has several projects going on at the same time, you many need several individuals certified to run those projects.
Additionally, if your project is covered by HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule, all workers on the job site must be certified. But, how do you know if the HUD rules apply to your job? You may need to do some research to make this determination. It boils down to if the housing you are doing your work in is either federally owned or receives federal assistance. If you find that any one of these are true for your project, all workers must be certified. There are many programs that provide financial assistance to properties. Please note that federal assistance can be provided through local and state programs as well. You may need to have your client identify the original source of the financial assistance received to help make a final determination whether the HUD rules apply.
Getting Certified
It’s relatively easy to get certified. There are no requirements you need to meet besides being at least 18 years old. That is really it. You won’t need to do any prep work to attend. All information is covered in the training program. When you attend, you can expect a good portion of your day to be spent in a classroom style setting where you will learn all about the requirements of the rule. You will spend two hours performing hands-on training showing that you can apply the skills and techniques you learned in the classroom. There is also a 25 questions exam at the end of the course and you must receive at least 70% to successfully pass. All information is covered in an easy to understand format. If you have a pulse, you should have no problem passing the exam and getting your certification.
There are 4 easy steps to get your Lead Certification
- Search for a Lead Paint Training course convenient for you.
- Register for the class. Space is limited, register early to reserve your spot.
- Attend the class, show off your skills during the hands-on section, and score 70% or higher on the exam.
- Receive your Lead Paint Certificate!
Renewing Your Certification
Your certification is valid for 5 years in most locations. There are several state authorized programs that currently regulate Lead RRP activity. Some of these states require you to renew your certificate prior to 5 years. To find out the requirements of your state, the EPA has created direct links to the state programs to help make your research easy.
Whether you follow the EPA or state authorized rules, one thing is for certain, you must renew your Lead Paint Certification before it expires. Your certificate will have a clearly marked expiration date on it. Please view the example certificate which has the expiration date circled. The rule requires you to attend a 4-hour Lead Paint Training Refresher course prior to the expiration to re-certify. If your current certificate expires, you must attend an 8-hour initial course to renew your certification. The EPA does not provide a grace period so make sure to renew before your expiration date!
You should now have a good understanding of who may need lead certification for the projects your company takes on. If your work is covered, have your employees attend a course and get certified. We have broken down all sections of the rule. Please continue reading the lead RRP Rule Interpretation to get a complete understand of your responsibilities.
Still have questions?
Call us any time at (763) 444-5323 and we’ll be happy to help!