"Lead-Safe Work Practices" online video course

The roof was hip-shaped and covered by concrete tiles. This house used trusses for the roof framing which were all in good conditions. The outside walls were concrete blocks walls and they were covered with stucco that was in good conditions. There were some visible cracks that do not represent any concern to the house structure. The foundation type was concrete slab. The front door and back sliding door were both in reasonably good conditions. All doors and windows were operable at the time of the inspection. The patio screen in in reasonable conditions, it shows a 8 inches damage on the north side of it.
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Inspecting an attic is not an easy job. We have to be careful when moving in the attic, specially were to step on without damaging the ceiling and insulation or hurt ourselves. We need to have a good illumination, for that reason you need to have a head lamp in order to have your hands free to climb holding the trusses. We need pay attention to the attic temperature, must of the time the temperature is too high that can affect you health. In top of that we need to check the attic components and take pictures and notes in order to provide a good report to the client.

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Lead-Safe Work Practices Essay:

This picture was taken during an inspection of a 1960 built home, the client is an investor who planned to renovate the house, client has been advised that paint may contain lead, sample was collected as per the Lab requirements and sent to the lab for further analysis to confirm the level of existence of lead in the paint. Based on the lab analyses, the proper method of renovation should be followed to make sure that Lead-Safe work practice is achieved to avoid any negative impact on people or environment.

I found it useful to understand some facts about Lead as listed below to avoid panicking and manage the situation properly:

  1. Lead exposure can harm young children and babies even before they are born.
  2. Even children who seem healthy can have high levels of lead in their bodies.
  3. You can get lead in your body by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil or paint chips containing lead.
  4. You have many options for reducing lead hazards. In most cases, lead-based paint that is in good condition is not a hazard.
  5. Removing lead-based paint improperly can increase the danger to your family.

I discovered a home owner who had their home remodeled; the popcorn ceiling was removed on all ceilings except in a few of the closets. These ceiling treatments were commonly used from the late 1950’s to the 1980’s. Some of these so called “cottage cheese” type of applications contained asbestos. It appeared to be in a good condition and painted over. The only way to determine if this ceiling contains asbestos is to either DIY test kit and send to lab or call in a specialist. :shock:

In this picture, the right side shows the popcorn ceiling and on the left is a clean ceiling. In the center is the framing for the closet.

Very good course but it raised some questions. One question was worker and tool decontamination procedures? After the job is done, the protective suits, respirators, booty’s, gloves, etc come off and into bags which become hazmat. However, the worker may still have some residual lead dust on their body and the tools which were used for the job need to be decon’ed as well. I found a number of great products on the market for personnel decontamination and I am assuming the tools get hosed off at some point? The liquid wash used for decon purpose is also disposed of as hazardous waste and these processes should be identified in the Decontamination Plan?

This is a picture of wood painted prior to 1978. It can be instantly tested with lead swabs. When you get a reading that is colored red then it has lead. The lead particles are often too hard to see and are dangerous when inhaled.

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I learned that it doesn’t take much of the lead based dust to cause some serious irreversible damage. Children are even more in danger than adults and will most likely ingest it. The process involved for the renovator is very extensive.

The photo is from a home originally built around 1900. The home has since been “remodeled”, but there is no record of when that “remodel” took place. While some of the walls were a gypsum board material, still others were a plaster material. Could we still have lead paint of the plaster walls? Could there be lead paint on the gypsum board walls?

Lead Facts

**Did you know the facts about lead?

**Truth be told, most people know very little about lead and its potential consequences. So no, most people do not know the facts about lead. While people may know that lead is “bad” for you they have little knowledge of how you can become exposed to it. Often times people think of lead paint and children eating lead paint chips, but what about lead dust from that paint. Or how about lead dust that gets moved inside the home on the soles of a persons shoes if they happen to live in an area where lead is produced. Due to the health consequences to all individuals, not just children, people should educate themselves about the wheres that lead can be found in their everyday lives.

Window sill was tested positive for lead paint. House was built in 1948. Home was tested for county rehab loan program. Lead paint was removed and window sill repainted.

Lead paint test swabs vs XRF testing gun:

Swab
•Although a destructive test, the surfaces tested are usually going to be discarded so in many cases this is not a problem.

•For the average job, contractors are reporting that only 10-20 swabs are required which keep the cost of the lead determination down to under.

•IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CUT AND LIFT A SAMPLE OF PAINT FROM A GIVEN COMPONENT THAT INCLUDES EVERY LAYER OF PAINT THAT HAS BEEN APPLIED TO THAT COMPONENT.

•Swabs never go bad and can travel anywhere with you, no licensing is required!

Gun
An XRF test causes no damage to any part of your home. It’s also much faster to utilize the XRF testing than the swab tests.

•The XRF cost for the equipment, radiation licensing and inspector certification, generally puts this technology out of the hands of the average contractor.

•The cost of the RRP evaluation varies greatly by region with costs ranging from $100 to $600.

•It is an excellent method when large numbers of surfaces require testing as in a gut rehab. Or when a non-destructive test is required.

•THERE IS NO GOOD WAY TO STORE THE RESULTS OF A LEAD SWAB TEST FOR THREE YEARS AS REQUIRED BY LAW.

•It is an excellent method when large numbers of surfaces require testing as in a gut rehab. Or when a non-destructive test is required.

I recently inspected a home that was built in 1967. The buyer wanted a test for lead done to insure his renovation team would not be exposed to lead paint particulate without their knowledge.
I use 3M Lead Check routinely with older homes that were built prior to 1979…yes I know its 1978 but some homes were still under construction so this is just my way of taking additional precautions.
The Lead check is a simple way to determine the presence of lead based paints by following the direction. Most important part is proper preparation of the sample areas. I take 3 samples from ceiling 3 from walls and one each from painted surfaces such as baseboards, window seals and/or cabinetry.
The photo below shows prep on a cabinet corner and the other two photos show the Lead Tester I use. I photograph each test and attached to my inspection report as an addendum (appendix).

I have researched the affects of lead poisoning on adults and children for my project. The following is what I have gleaned and is something I provide to my clients who are purchasing older homes.

Health Risks of Lead
(Homes built prior to 1978)

Health Effects in Children
Children, particularly children under age 6, are most at risk from small amounts of lead.
For children, the major route of entry of lead into the body is through ingestion of leaded dust by normal hand-to-mouth contact as they swallow dust from their hands, toys, and other things they put in their mouths.
Children’s bodies absorb a much greater percentage (~50%) of the lead that they ingest or breathe, compared to adults (~10%).*
In children, lead can cause:
• decreased intelligence, attention deficit disorder, and learning disabilities;
• behavioral problems;
• damage to the nervous system;
• speech and language problems; and/or
• kidney problems.
While low-lead exposure is most common, exposure to high levels of lead can have devastating effects on children, including seizures, unconsciousness, and, in some cases, death. Many studies suggest that once lead has damaged a child, the damage is permanent. You can remove the child from the exposure but the damage remains.*
*
Health Effects in Adults
Emphasize that, for most adults, the major route of entry of lead into the body is through inhalation (breathing) of leaded dust via occupational exposures.
In pregnant women:
• lead in their blood is transferred to the fetus; and*
• harm to the fetus may include brain damage and death.*
In adults, lead can cause:
• high blood pressure;
• fertility problems in both men and women;
• digestive problems;
• nerve disorders;
• sexual disorders;
• memory and concentration problems; and/or*
• muscle and/or joint pain.*

Due to the age of the home (1853). I would be sure to hire an EPA certified RRP contractor. And follow all lead safe work practices

Advise all clients in pre 1978 homes to use lead safe renovation and cleaning practices. Any window or door replacements should be handled by a epa rrp contractor

Water damage and possible microbial growth in painted wall. Age of the structure suggests lead paint is present and should be tested for prior to renovations.

After going through the Lead Safe Work Practices course I was looking around the house and realized just how much a contractor and a home inspector can affect people’s lives, especially children. The natural activity of children, with their high level of energy and inquisitiveness, makes them prime targets for lead poisoning. The pictures included here are from a typical childs playroom. Everything is close to the floor, the window sill becomes a perfect high for a shelf and play station, and all dust moves to their level on or near the ground. Many rooms have carpeting which are extremely difficult to remove lead from, especially if the homeowner does not realize there is a problem once a renovation has taken place. When dealing with lead you can hardly be “too safe”.

As the essay portion of the Lead Safe Work Environment I read the articles on lead facts. There were two articles, one directed toward inspectors and one directed toward consumers. The consumer article is one I will post on my web page and as a blog. It contains very well organized, easy to understand information that is direct and to the point. Lead is dangerous. As professionals in the business of helping others make informed decisions about their homes inspectors need to do all we can to make consumers aware of negative situations, especially one as dangerous as lead.

Here is an older come, which was built in the 1960’s. The interior and exterior walls show signs of lead based paint. As you can see in the photo, the paint is chipping away. If not properly removed/remediated, this can pose a problem for contractors, home-owners, and most importantly children, especially children under 6 years old. Lead based paint removal is an important process in order to create an air quality issue. If not properly removed, lead based paint can be easily accessible to children, who may ingest these pieces and suffer lead poisoning. Contractor’s and even home-owners can suffer as well if they decide to do projects around the house, which can be easily inhaled.

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