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Smart
Contractors
Accreditation,
Training Courses and Experience of NSW Contractors
By
Elizabeth O’Brien, Manager Lead Advisory Service (LAS) NSW
Using lead-trained
contractors is the most important step in ensuring that painting and building work on your
house or workplace protects your safety.
Councils are
advised to specify lead-trained contractors in all Council contracts regarding pre-1970
buildings and as a condition of building consents for all pre-1970 buildings in their
Council area.
Demolition
contractor licensing
Demolition
contractors are, as of late 1997, licensed by WorkCover, but this is not to imply that
they have any training in lead-safe demolition techniques.
Contact WorkCover
NSW for details on 131 050.
Industrial
paint removal certification
A number of
industrial paint removal contractor companies have completed lead training in the US, run
by the SSPC (Societies for Protective Coatings, previously called Steel Structures
Painting Council).
In Australia,
companies can be accredited under the national Painting Contractor Certification Program
(PCCP).
Thirteen
commercial firms in Australia (seven in NSW) have been accredited for the first four
classes of accreditation, which are:
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Light
Steelwork,
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Medium / Heavy
Steelwork,
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Complex
Structures – Heavy Steelwork; Food and Beverage,
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Complex
Structures – Heavy Steelwork; Chemical, Mining, Offshore.
Contractors
involved in the removal of hazardous paints in industrial applications and specifically
lead-based paint can also be accredited. The assessment procedures and requirements have
recently been finalised in a new class, CLASS 5 – Hazardous Coatings. Several
contractors have applied for certification in CLASS 5, and will be audited in early 1998.
At this point in time only one Company (in Vic.) has been accredited for CLASS 5. No NSW
contractors have been accredited as yet.
[Update as at 5th November 2008:
See PCCP Accredited Contractors by State (pages 6-9): Removal Of Hazardous
Paint - Industrial Applications - Contractors Accredited to Class 5, at www.apas.gov.au/pccp/pdfs/D016S.pdf -
which lists 7 companies in NSW, 3 in each of Qld and SA, one in each of
Tas and WA and 2 companies in Vic.]
The safe removal
of hazardous coatings is not a compulsory component of accreditation in CLASSES 1 – 4
above because many of the applicators are applying paint to new steel work and this
voluntary industry self-regulation scheme has many objectives other than safe removal of
lead paint.
Commercial training for
domestic paint removal contractors
A small number of
paint contractors in NSW have done one or more of the four commercial training courses,
listed below:
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Sami Pty Ltd
used to train contractors in the use of their product range called Peel Away. The various
Peel Away formulations are designed for use on the various substrates – metal, wood,
plaster, etc. Unfortunately, there is a risk that some lead from old paint will be
dissolved by the chemical stripper and remain in the wood fibre, if the substrate is wood
and is not properly cleaned and neutralised. Sami is no longer responsible for
Peel Away;
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Bldcare Pty Ltd
is now the sole Australian distributor of Peel Away and has trained numerous contractors
in the use of these products. In recent times the training has paid particular attention
to the issue of cleaning and neutralising porous surfaces, such as wood, following
stripping;
-
TAFE have
recently trialled a course for painting contractors on lead paint based on US Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) guidelines. The Master Painters Association has co-sponsored this
course, but the course will be revised before being offered formally. The revised course
will almost certainly be consistent with the soon to be released Australian Standard on
domestic lead paint management [See box on next page];
-
Lead researcher
Professor Brian Gulson and lead assessor Fred Salome of CTI have run several courses on
lead paint management at the Macquarie University Centre for Open Education. The courses
have been attended by Council Environmental Health Officers, Building Managers and
painting contractors.
In addition, three
major building maintenance contractors have experience in removing lead paint from public
buildings, according to Fred Salome. These three companies will undertake domestic lead
paint removal work.
One building
contractor in Sydney had a managing director who had a lead abatement licence obtained in
the US. Unfortunately, the company went into liquidation in February 1998.
Phone the Lead
Advisory Service (LAS) NSW to obtain contact details for the contractors in any of the
above categories. Phone LAS on Freecall 1800 626 086. Mobile callers must phone (02) 9716
0132.
New approach to lead
abatement training
An American lead
abatement firm has developed new lead abatement methods that are claimed to exceed the
commonly used U.S. HUD standard.
Patrick Connor of
Connor Environmental Services & Engineering Assessments in Baltimore, Maryland has
developed some innovative lead abatement techniques. Connor’s view is that US Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines on lead paint removal are excessive, requiring
things such as double layers of 6 mil plastic sheeting, 3 bucket method, disposable
overalls. They argue the HUD method is less successful than their methods:
After HUD
Guidelines have been executed by HUD / US EPA trained contractors for both the paint
stripping and the clean-up, still 33% of the dust samples fail the clearance guidelines.
After Connor
guidelines (spray bottle, wet sanding block, split bucket method, only 3 feet wide poly
plastic laid along the wall) have been carried out by attendees of the Connor course, 97%
of dust samples pass the clearance testing.
Connor
Environmental Services and Engineering Assessments is so confident of their innovative
lead abatement techniques, they guarantee dust levels after the work is done will comply
with half the level of usual dust lead HUD Clearance Guidelines.
Jason
Bawden-Smith, of JBS Environmental Services and Technologies, says that he will soon
publish a detailed article on the problems caused by using caustic strippers for lead
paint removal, especially on porous surfaces.
The Master
Painters Association (MPA) of Australia has asked Jason to develop a lead abatement
training course for TAFE, which Jason says will be an Australian-modified lead remediation
training course based on the highly successful Connor training course.
Accreditation, training
or experience?
Patrick Connor and
Jason Bawden-Smith both advised the Lead Advisory Service that accreditation or licensing
of lead-paint removal services was unnecessary.
Their advice was
that householders should be strenuously advised to ask the contractor if she or he is lead
trained and experienced. This applies to builders, painters, demolishers, plumbers,
electricians etc. [See "Hiring a Lead Safe Contractor"].
Training courses
should be of high quality and available regularly for both apprentices and those already
in business. Contractors should then advertise their training and their ability to pass
clearance testing.
It is not totally
unacceptable to Patrick or Jason that the contractor themselves should collect the
clearance dust samples or soil samples (as David Penlington of MPA suggested) as long as
someone like the MPA sends an experienced lead assessor to check up say every 10th
clearance assessment of a particular contractor.
Jason emphasises
that the ability of a contractor to meet clearance guidelines following lead paint
treatments / removal, is the most important issue for the householders. He is concerned
that most courses to date have failed to train contractors in this primary objective,
although Fred Salome, of CTI Consultants P/L, says some training courses have addressed
clearance testing. Fred does not think the contractor should provide or carry out
clearance testing. This should be done by an independent assessor or consultant.
"Nonetheless, a good contractor who wants to work in this field will probably acquire
clearance testing knowledge and skills, regardless of what courses are on offer",
says Fred. "AS 4361.2 places a strong emphasis on not creating dust, and detailed
clearance testing based on lead dust levels is not totally consistent with the general
philosophy of "stabilise, remove only as a last resort, and don’t create dust
when you do".
New Australian Standard
for House Lead Paint Management
AS 4361.2 -
Guidelines for Lead Paint Management - Residential and Commercial Buildings is due to be
released in May 1998 and will be launched at a series of seminars in all capital cities in
May and June. Phone Standards Australia on (02) 9746 4600 to order a copy.
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