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Materials
Hiring
a Lead Professional
to Work in
Your Home
California Department of Health
Services -- Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch
On this page...
Why
should I be worried about lead?
Most houses built
before 1978 have some lead-based paint on the interior or exterior.
If the paint is in good condition, it is usually not hazardous. However,
if lead-based paint starts to chip, crack or flake, or if it is disturbed
during repainting, remodeling or renovation, lead in the paint chips or
dust can create serious health hazards that cause long term health problems
for your family.
Children under six,
pregnant women and their growing fetuses are all especially vulnerable
to lead. Lead from paint chips, dust and soil clings to toys, fingers
and other objects that children put into their mouths. This is the
most common way children get lead poisoned.
Why
should I hire a lead professional who has been certified by the State?
By hiring a State-Certified
lead professional to work on your home, you can help prevent your family
from being poisoned by lead. Many construction professionals today
still do not know about the harmful effects of lead. They may not
even know that simple repainting, remodeling or renovation projects can
cause lead poisoning.
State-Certified lead
professionals have experience dealing with environmental hazards.
They have also taken training to learn how to do lead-related construction
safely -- without poisoning themselves or the people who live in the buildings
they work on. Certified lead professionals must take a Continuing
Education class every year to learn about the latest information, laws,
and technologies for doing lead-related construction.
If your house was built
before 1978, it is especially important to hire a certified lead professional
if...
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your house has peeling,
cracking or chipping paint.
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you plan to repaint, remodel
or renovate the house or disturb lead contaminated soil.
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young children live or
play there.
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a pregnant woman lives
there.
What
kind of State-Certified lead professionals should I hire?
For home repainting,
remodeling or renovation projects, you should first hire a certified lead
Inspector/Assessor, then a certified lead Supervisor.
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The Inspector/Assessor
will test your home for lead, tell you if the lead in your home is hazardous,
and give you options for dealing with it. Have the Inspector/Assessor
test the areas you plan to repaint, remodel or renovate before any work
begins.
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The Supervisor
(sometimes called a contractor) will review the inspection/assessment results
and hire an appropriate certified team to do the repainting, renovation
or remodeling.
This team will probably
include certified Workers. For large jobs, the team might also include
a certified Project Designer, who will help prepare the project plans,
and a certified Project Monitor, who will visit while work is in progress
and may conduct dust wipe sampling after the project is done to make sure
no lead contamination occurs.
You have many options
for dealing with lead hazards in your home. Talk to your certified
Inspector/Assessor about what solutions are best for you. Also contact
your local health department
to find out about Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Lead Poisoning.
Do
all lead professionals have to be certified?
Lead professionals
in California are required to be certified in many situations. State
law requires lead inspector/risk assessors to be certified. State
law also requires certification for anyone who does work designed to reduce
or eliminate lead hazards from any type of building in California.
You can call the Lead-Related Construction Information Line at 1-800-597-LEAD
to request more detailed information on when certification is required.
What
if I plan to do the work myself?
Before you begin your
home improvement project, get information on testing
the areas you plan to repaint, remodel or renovate for lead. You
should also get the free EPA booklet, Reducing
Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home. This how-to booklet,
also available by calling the National
Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD, is a valuable guide for
anyone involved in home improvement projects that could disturb lead.
What
is the difference between being trained and being certified?
California's certified
lead professionals have more than just training. They also have experience
doing lead-related construction work or dealing with other environmental
hazards. In some cases they also have college education in the sciences.
In the near future, California's certified lead professionals will also
be required to pass a Statewide competency exam.
Always ask to see a
certified lead professional's Department of Health Services Certificate
Card. It should show the certified lead professional's name and picture,
and list the types of DHS Certificates he or she has with their expiration
dates.
To verify that a lead
professional is currently certified by DHS, call the Lead-Related Construction
Information Line at 1-800-597-LEAD or look them up on the Index
of All Certified Individuals.
Is
there a difference between a certified person and a licensed contractor?
Yes. California's
Contractor State License Board (CSLB)
licenses bonded contractors in many different construction disciplines,
based on their experience and a licensing exam. CSLB’s licensing
criteria do not include lead-related construction training or experience.
A contractor's license is important but it is not a substitute for a DHS
lead-related construction certificate.
How
can I find a certified lead professional to work on my home?
Look at the List
Certified California State Certified Professionals or call the Lead-Related
Construction Information Line at 1-800-597-LEAD (outside California: 510-869-3953)
to get a copy by mail.
What
are some tips for choosing a certified lead professional?
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Ask to see the lead professional's
DHS Lead Certificate Card.
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Call the Lead-Related
Construction Information Line or visit the Index
of California State Certified Professionals to verify a lead professional's
certification.
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Ask the lead professional
for the names and phone numbers of the last three clients he or she did
lead-related construction projects for. Call the clients to find
out if they were satisfied with the lead professional's work.
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Get bids from several
certified lead professionals before hiring one. (TIP:
A good bid should contain a written description of the work the contractor
plans to do and the cost of the job.)
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Ask each certified lead
professional to explain any costs you do not understand.
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Make sure the lead professional
has workers’ compensation and liability insurance.
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Ask the lead professional
what special precautions and work methods he or she will use to prevent
exposing your family, your property and your neighbor's property to lead
contamination. (TIP: The lead professional should use work
methods that generate the least amount of lead dust. He or she should
also take precautions to prevent spreading lead dust around your house,
including cleaning-up debris and dust while the work is in progress.)
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Hire only licensed contractors.
To check a contractor's license, call the Contractors
State License Board License at 1-800-321-2752.
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Get it in writing!
The work contract should include specific descriptions of the lead safety
procedures the contractor will use.