Atlantic Builders Convention Features Two Certification Courses in Advance of April 22^nd Deadline

 

Hamilton, NJ – Effective April 22, 2010, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will require all contractors working in occupied homes, apartments, schools and daycares built before 1978 (when lead paint was banned) to be trained and certified under the Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule. The regulation aims to reduce exposure to lead paint that may occur when remodeling a structure built before 1978. One of the compliance conditions is attending a course presented by an approved EPA instructor. Contractors subject to the rule include remodelers, carpenters, plumbers, heating and air conditioning workers, window installers, and others disturbing painted surfaces.

 

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), homeowners and those planning a remodeling project this spring may not be able to find a qualified remodeler unless those contractors receive the necessary certifications by the April 22 deadline. By mid-March, the EPA had only approved 135 training providers and had certified approximately 50,000 renovators in lead-safe work practices; yet an estimated 200,000 contractors nationwide must be trained and certified by the April deadline.

 

“Homebuilding and remodeling professionals are concerned about protecting children from exposure to lead,” shared Timothy Touhey, CEO of the NJBA. “The NJBA is working hard to get members certified by the April 22 deadline so that they can keep New Jersey’s families safe from lead exposure.”

 

In fact, the NJBA and its local affiliates are holding training courses between now and April 22, including two courses during the upcoming Atlantic Builders Convention (ABC). The EPA lead paint course will be presented by LEW Corporation, an NJBA Master Sponsor company, on Wednesday, April 14 and on Thursday, April 15 at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ. There is an attendance fee for the course (NAHB members receive a $25 discount) in addition to the ABC registration fee, and advanced registration is required. Interested parties can register for the course online at http://abconvention.com/events/?s_001.

 

Homeowners, property managers and owners will need to ask their remodelers and contractors if they are EPA Lead Certified, and whether they have a trained and certified renovator on staff, because beginning April 22, only these firms can legally do the work in homes built before 1978.

 

To learn more about the EPA ruling, go to www.epa.gov/lead.

 

For additional information on the lead certification courses being offered at ABC, visit http://abconvention.com/education.php. The “EPA Lead Certification Course” is the first course listed on the schedule for Wednesday and Thursday.