Because of the EPA’s lead paint regulations, renovators must now take an EPA lead renovation course, which comprises of an 8-hour online training and a 3-hour field training. The online training contains an overview of lead safety regulations and teaches students what processes the EPA has deemed lead safe. These lead safety regulations aim to curb the instances of lead paint exposure in adults and in children. The role of renovators in reducing the occurrences of lead poisoning is to practice only lead safe working practices when providing renovation, repair, and painting services in environments that contain lead based paint.

The first step toward obtaining your EPA lead renovation certificate is registering for a lead certification course. During the lead training course, you will learn exactly which activities the EPA has denoted as high-risk due to their capacity to disturb lead based paint. Once lead paint is scraped from a wall, it can break off into even smaller particles. If these particles become stuck to the clothing of the renovator, or if they are blown beyond the working area, they can end up in the hands or mouths of young children. Lead paint exposure is responsible for numerous health defects in children and adults, and the EPA lead renovation requirements seek to lower the health risks associated with lead paint exposure.

The hands-on field training component of an EPA lead renovator training class gives students the chance to see how lead safe renovations work. Students will be able to gain a sense of how to properly contain a working area before a lead renovation, how to minimize the dispersal of lead dust to limit lead exposure, and how to effectively clean up the working area to EPA standards. Lead certification is mandatory for renovators who work in pre-1978 buildings, so if you are one of these people, get certified now.