Company resolves alleged violations of EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule
Contacts:
Kristin Jendrek 303-312-6126,
[email protected]
Richard Mylott, 303-312-6654,
[email protected]
(Denver, Colo. - January 27, 2016) The E.P.A. has reached a $37,065 settlement with Atlanta, Georgia-based THD At-Home Services following a June 2015 compliance inspection that revealed alleged violations of the lead-based paint Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule at a plan location in Arvada, Colorado.
THD At-Home Services, a subsidiary of The Home Depot, was the general contractor for the Colorado home renovation project, where prior testing confirmed the presence of lead-based paint. The settlement alleges that the company failed to ensure that waste debris and dust at the plan location were properly contained and that the work area was fully cleaned of dust, debris, and residue in accordance with RRP Rule requirements.
"EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting rule provides important, front-line protection for children and others vulnerable to exposure to lead dust that can cause lead poisoning," said Suzanne Bohan, director of EPA's enforcement plan in Denver. "EPA will continue to take steps to ensure that contractors comply with the rule's requirements to contain waste, control dust, and prevent exposure."
The RRP Rule, issued under the authority of the Toxic Substances Control Act, requires that contractors that work on pre-1978 dwellings and child-occupied facilities are trained and certified in lead-safe work practices and that those work practices are used on jobsites. This ensures that renovation and repair activities that disturb surfaces with lead paint, like sanding or cutting walls or replacing windows, minimize the creation and spread of dangerous lead dust. The rule took effect on June 23, 2008.
The U.S. banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978, however E.P.A. estimates that it is still present in in excess of 30 million homes across the nation. Lead exposure can cause a range of adverse health effects, from behavioral disorders and learning disabilities to seizures and death, with young children at the greatest risk due to their developing nervous systems.
For more information on the RRP requirements: http://www.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program
