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Hiring a Lead
Safe Contractor
Hire contractors who use lead safe work practices
A contractor may tell you
that lead paint is not used any more or lead is not a problem. Modern paint does contain
only a small amount of lead (though lead paint is still used in some special commercial
and industrial applications). However, your house will almost certainly have old lead
paint or contaminated dust in it if built before 1970, which can be disturbed if safe work
practices are not used.
If your house was built
before 1970 and the contractor assures you lead is not a problem HIRE SOMEONE ELSE. They
do not know what they are talking about, and will probably use unsafe work practices and
may contaminate your house.
Lead safe work could add
to the cost of your work, but decontaminating a polluted site costs more! You will reap
benefits in your health, and could well recover more than the cost in the long term by
being able to sell your house as "lead safe".
Ask potential
contractors some simple questions
- Do you know about lead?
- Do you think this house contains
any lead paint or lead contaminated dust?
- Do you think this work may
create lead hazards?
- Have you ever done any jobs
where lead was a problem? If yes, where?
- How are you going to prevent
lead hazards on this job?
- How are you going to safely
transport and dispose of the waste?
- What training courses have you
completed in lead management?
- Can you prove to me that your
contract work regularly complies with clearance guidelines for lead in dust?
Make
sure these tasks are included in your quote to do building work
| Lead tests |
$
.............. |
| Preparing
the work area: |
|
| Moving
furniture |
$
.............. |
| Sealing and
covering surfaces and items |
$
.............. |
| Cost of
equipment and materials |
$
.............. |
| Preparing
surfaces for painting using: |
|
| Wet sanding or
scraping |
$
.............. |
| Chemical
stripping |
$
.............. |
| Power sanding
using dust extraction equipment or water |
$
.............. |
| Low temperature
heat guns |
$
.............. |
| Cleaning up: |
|
| Washing and
mopping |
$
.............. |
| Hire of a HEPA
vacuum cleaner |
$
.............. |
| Safe disposal
of waste and debris |
$
.............. |
| Having
the work done safely is an investment. :-) |
| Also
see: Making
Lead-Smart Workers |
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