More Interesting Window Cleaning News

Man killed while watching Match of The Day: A man shot dead in south London was deliberately targeted after a petty row, police believe. The 23-year-old, who has not been named, was blasted with a shotgun as he put his head out of a window to see who was knocking at his front door. The victim had been in bed with his girlfriend watching Match Of The Day on Saturday night when the gunman called at his address in west Norwood. Detectives said today the victim, who is Portuguese, was not known to them and had no criminal record. He had been working as a window cleaner and is believed to have got into a row with some men in the previous few days.

This prototype solar island, 10 metres in diameter, is being tested in Al Hamra, Ras al Khaimah. It is a partnership of the Swiss research centre CSEM and Ras al Khaimah. ABU DHABI - If it worked on Mars, it should work here too. The technology that Nasa uses to clean solar panels on its Mars rovers could also, according to researchers at Boston University, be useful in desert environs such as the UAE. Prof Malay Mazumder, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who developed the technology, said that while the country might seem ideally suited for solar energy projects, experts have noted one hitch: dust and sand build up on the solar arrays. A thin layer of fine dust – as little as 4 grams spread across one square metre of a panel – could reduce energy output by 40 per cent, according to Prof Mazumder. His solution? Self-cleaning solar panels that would not require any washing fluid. “The trick here is to apply electrostatic forces to the panel in such a way that the sand particles become charged,” the computer and electrical engineering professor said in an interview from Boston. “They get lifted up from the surface and whipped away.”



The technology would work on Earth as it works on Mars: using a special “electrodynamic screen”, tiny dust particles are captured, charged and swept aside by an electrostatic wave switched on for several seconds. Prof Mark Horenstein, a colleague of Prof Mazumder’s who is also working on the self-cleaning technology, said dust particles “would kind of be hopping and get dragged to the sides” before dropping off. “We summarised the project this way: where do you want to build a solar panel? Where there is a lot of sun. Where is there a lot of sun? The desert. What is there not a lot of in the desert? Water, and there are copious amounts of dust,” he said. The self-cleaning panels could save time and water. “Imagine you sent out a window washer to wash every panel, and maybe it’s a gallon [of water] a panel,” Prof Horenstein noted.



Prof Mazumder said: “I have a student in this campus who’s from Dubai, and he had worked to clean solar panels [in the UAE] with water and chemicals to prevent streaks, and he said it’s a very big mess.” Shariar Faghfooli, the managing director of Gulf Solar Technologies in Jebel Ali, was intrigued by the professors’ possibility. “It would be a good idea, absolutely,” he said. But he added that “the biggest hurdle is lack of awareness. Solar energy has not been implemented enough here – not just the UAE, but in the whole region.” Mr Faghfooli also wondered about costs for retrofitting. “It could be expensive. Maybe the next generation of the panels would be more viable if the price drops.” The target, Prof Horenstein said, was to build retrofittable screens for existing solar panels that would cost as little as US$10 to manufacture. He said that is a good deal because of the money that would be saved on maintenance over the long term. See previous blog here.

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the murder in police custody of the black consciousness leader and anti-apartheid activist Stephen Bantu Biko, who would have turned 64 on December 18. Yet in defiance of the bounds of grave and time, Biko's spirit continues to be a powerful presence. It still spawns many reincarnations, with the fiery activist Andile Mngxitama as one of many self-confessed embodiments of the black-consciousness leader's contested legacy."I think of myself as a window cleaner (and) writing is one of the key tools I use to clean those dirty windows in people's minds," Mngxitama said in 2009.

Baumgartens, a family business that manufactures people - and planet-friendly products, announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the company as a partner in the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) Safer Product Labeling program. The DfE label is recognized by retailers and consumers as a mark for products that are healthier for people and better for the environment. Conserve® Glass and Window cleaning tablets can now carry the DfE logo ensuring that the ingredients include safer chemistry which means no harmful ingredients like bleach, ammonia or acids are used in this product.
“Becoming a voluntary EPA partner in the DfE program means that Baumgartens is committing to continually improve products and reduce risk to users and the environment,” said David Baumgarten, vice president. “What’s really special about our innovative cleaning tablets is that aside from safer ingredients, these little tabs represent a massive reduction in CO2 emissions and use of fossil fuels.” One truckload of Conserve Cleaning Tablets (four tablets with bottle) is equal to six truckloads of traditional and green liquid cleaners. “The difference is dramatic when we calculate a truckload of our retail consumer version which eliminates the plastic bottle altogether,” said Baumgarten. “One truckload of our retail consumer tablets calculates to 14 truckloads of liquid cleaners off our roads! This is about so much more than our ingredients. Aside from the cost reduction for shipping these light-weight cleaners, environmental benefits include using 1/10th the fossil fuels, decreasing CO2 emissions, and dumping fewer plastics into landfills.”
DfE is a voluntary partnership program of the EPA that began in 1992. The program recognizes products which are effective and exhibit safer chemistry. “In an independent lab study, Conserve Glass & Window cleaning tablets were just as effective as the leading national brand,” said Baumgarten. “Our products also cost less than all other conventional and green brands out there. You get a full gallon of cleaner with one package which includes a reusable spray bottle and four tablets! Simply add tap water to make four full 32-ounce bottles of cleaner. This is a big win for consumers who want to save money and use household products that are better for their health and the environment.”
Baumgartens is a woman-owned family business supplying unique, innovative products to the school, home and office market that make a difference to thousands of retailers and wholesalers across the U.S.A. Baumgartens successful environmental program, business paradigms, flexible programs and award-winning customer service are unrivaled in the office supply industry. As part of its 2007 Green Initiative, the company planted thousands of trees and has offset hundreds of thousands of pounds of harmful greenhouse gasses. The company aims to be 100% carbon neutral by 2015.

Bringing dignity to labour - Dubai: Modern times demand modern job descriptions. A quick look through job advertisements reveals that today, everything seems to have become more dignified. It is not just the term "facility manager" for a person who used to be called a caretaker, janitor or a custodian. There are more new expressions designed to restore some dignity for people who are normally under-appreciated for the service they provide to the community. For example, what used to be an excavator today is highly sought after as a "soil movement engineer". People who work as window cleaners can be proud of the new job description: "vision clearance engineers."

Living a dream with their own cleaning business - MASON CITY - Jason and Lynn Wise began JasLyn Cleaning Services in May 2004 out of their home in Mason City. Six years later the business, now located at 2025 S. Federal Ave., has grown to 17 employees and more than 200 customers from all over North Iowa. JasLyn has grown 12 to 15 percent each year, even during the harsh economic climate of the past two years, according to Jason. “We have been very, very fortunate,” Lynn said. Jason said his father told him years ago that if you work hard and have a product you believe in and that others believe in, “it’s going to be successful” even in a bad economy. At the time they started JasLyn — a combination of their first names — Jason was a finance manager at Sedars Auto Park and Lynn was a bookkeeper at The Electricians. “I’ve always dreamed of owning my own business,” Jason said.
Lynn said their children were getting older, and they needed more income to help pay for high school and college expenses. Jason continued working at Sedars for a while until JasLyn became a full-time business. At first they just cleaned commercial properties, but now that has expanded to residential properties as well. Jason said in the current economy many people are working two or even three jobs just to get by, so “they don’t have the time to clean their houses.” JasLyn offers carpet cleaning, interior painting, floor care, window cleaning, and deck washing and restaining. JasLyn recently opened a detail shop for vehicle care, offering hand washing and drying, vacuuming, window cleaning, buffing, leather conditioning and shampooing of carpets.
Every member of the Wise family has been involved in the business in some way. Jason began taking his children with him on sales calls when they were in high school so they could get a look at what the business world is like. The Wises said a lot of the success of the business is due to the employees and the level of service offered. Lynn said if customers have an emergency at their house or need to move up their cleaning appointment because they have company coming, nine times out of 10 JasLyn can accommodate their request. “We go the extra mile,” Jason said.

Crawley window-cleaner's son tricked customers out of cash: A window-cleaner's son tricked his father’s customers into giving him cash. Sam Renaud turned to distraction burglary and fraud after his mother told him to leave home and get a job. A judge at Brighton Crown Court gave him an 18-month prison sentence yesterday (Mon) after he admitted two burglaries, four frauds and asked for 80 other offences to be taken into consideration. Renaud, 20, went to 23 homes in Crawley and asked for payment for his father’s window-cleaning service in May this year. Sometimes he was paid about £20, while other householders refused to hand over any cash. He also went to two elderly women’s homes and distracted them while he stole cash. He took about £40 from an 85-year-old woman in Southgate, Crawley, on May 18, after going to her home and asking for £6.50 for window-cleaning.

Aberdeen window cleaner claimed disability allowance: An Aberdeen man has admitted claiming disability allowance while working as a window cleaner. Window cleaner Derek Winton, 50, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted committing the crime for more than six months.Winton, whose address was given in court papers as 85 Mansefield Place, Aberdeen, claimed the money between June 30, 2008, and January 6, 2009. The charge said Derek Winton failed to notify authorities of a change of circumstances which affected his entitlement to benefits. And Aberdeen man Derek Winton failed to report improvements in his condition while he was cleaning windows. Sheriff James Tierney deferred sentence until October 11.

A German woman has been put into an induced coma after she was allegedly served glass cleaner instead of water at a restaurant. The woman, from Ulm, was at the restaurant with her husband when she ordered a glass of mineral water, German news website Bild.de reports. A waiter then allegedly brought her a glass of clear liquid that turned out to be a powerful glass cleaner used in dishwashers at the restaurant. The woman, who has not been identified, reportedly only took one sip — but it was enough to cause severe burns to her mouth and oesophagus. The mistake allegedly occured because staff at the restaurant were keeping glass cleaner in the same bottles as mineral water. Following the incident police have launched an investigation into criminal negligence at the restaurant. Owners of the restaurant, which has not been named in German media reports, had originally claimed that the company that produces the mineral water was to blame for the mix-up.

Who is affected by this lead-based paint regulation change?

Anyone who performs RRP activities for profit is affected by the change in regulations. This includes property managers, people performing RRP activities to flip a home for profit, real estate agents doing repairs themselves, contractors and renovators. If you are a Do-It-Yourselfer who is not planning on turning a profit on the property then you are exempt from these regulations. However, the EPA does still advise to follow the safety precautions that they have outlines as lead-based paint dust is very harmful. Basically, if you are performing RRP activities that disturb more than 6 square feet of paint indoors and 20 square feet or paint outdoors, then you must be trained and certified by the EPA.
Maybe you have not performed any RRP activities nor are you ever planning to in the future, you may still be affect by this change in regulation. When selling, renting out, or leasing a home it is now a requirement to disclose any known information about lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards. This means that if the space you are renting, leasing or selling has been tested for lead-based paint, the test results must be disclosed. If leasing out a pre-1978 property, a disclosure form about lead-based paint must be included in the lease. Sellers must also include a lead-based paint disclosure in the sales contract and buyers are allowed ten days to check for lead hazards.

What is "disturbing" paint?

The EPA considers any action that removes paint from its surface in an area that larger than 6 square feet indoors and 20 square feet outdoors to be disturbing the paint. This includes window replacement, weatherization, and component replacement in a home. Such actions such as scraping, open-flame burning or torching, sanding, grinding, using a needle gun, abrasive blasting and sandblasting are all activities that will disturb paint, and therefore require you to be certified and the EPA’s safety instructions to be followed. Surprising they didn’t include cleaning with TSP.

Tony Gonzalez's Business Facing Wage Charges: INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - A local cleaning company connected to former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez is in hot water over work performed at the Arrowhead Stadium renovation project. The Overland Park company has been charged with 22 counts of failing to pay prevailing wages to employees. Missouri's prevailing wage law applies to publicly funded projects and sets rates for both pay and fringe benefits based on county and job category. The charges, filed in Jackson County, allege XtremeClean88 did not pay the full amount of fringe benefits to the health and retirement fund for Laborers Local 264. Gonzalez's manager, Denise White, said the all-pro tight end, currently with the Atlanta Falcons, is not involved in the day-to-day operations, so he wasn't aware of the situation until KCTV5 called. XtremeClean88's lawyer, Jay Thomas, said the company paid the vast majority of the $26,000 past due amount before the charges were filed. He said the remaining $5,500 is in dispute over the number of hours worked, something the company and the union are still trying to iron out. On its website XtremeClean88 says it offers hood exhaust cleaning, window cleaning, carpet washing, power washing and gutter cleaning. See previous blog here (scroll to bottom).

Window Cleaners Rattled By Canadian Earthquake - R.I.P. Jose Herrera

Quake in Ottawa, Canada — Books and bottles rattled off shelves; bricks came loose from some buildings; downtown highrises were evacuated; and several Ottawa schools were examined for structural concerns. But other than some limited property damage — and a few minor injuries — Ottawa escaped relatively unscathed Wednesday from what scientists describe as a “moderate” earthquake, centred in nearby Val-des-Bois, Que. The quake did unnerve the nation’s capital and could be felt across much of eastern North America, from Montreal to Chicago, Illinois. The quake struck at 1:41 p.m. with a magnitude of 5.0 and lasted between 20 and 30 seconds, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). It was centred an estimated 20 kilometres underground. Dan Galipeau, who owns a window cleaning company in Ottawa, said his workers were on a scaffold at the Lester B. Pearson Building on Sussex Drive when the quake hit. “My guys, they freaked,” Galipeau said. “They stopped cleaning immediately, went down, and called me.”
Window washers Steve Moore and Jon Martin were hanging outside an office building in downtown Kitchener, but somehow didn’t feel a thing when the ground shook 10 storeys below their suspended platform. “We’re on cables, so we’re always moving up there anyway,” Moore said after obliviously finishing the job and getting his feet back on firm ground about half an hour later. “If I felt an earthquake, I would have been the first person down,” Martin said. “Those are grounds for going home, right?” The partners had a birds-eye view as area buildings emptied out, but figured there must have been a fire or some other mishap.
Once here on Prince of Wales Drive, the 27-floor Château Royale was swaying from side to side and many people were seen carrying elderly people down the stairs. Once outside, we realized that the whole city was being affected as we could hear sirens everywhere. An interesting sight to see was the window-washing crew suspended in the air holding on for dear life 15 storeys in the air across the street.
John Carone was in his home office, on Courtland Drive. He could feel a shudder under his desk. Then his chair moved. "I got up, and I thought, 'I'm nuts,'" said Carone, an accountant. He looked outside. His wife, Robin, was standing on a chair, washing a window. "I'm watching her, and I'm still feeling this shake," he said. "I thought, 'Wow, she's pretty strong.'" The tremors probably wobbled off a fault line that runs under Lake Erie, said Scott McKenzie, a geology instructor at Mercyhurst College. He felt them at his home in Millcreek Township.

Man injured in Orinda electrical accident dies: SAN JOSE — One of the two men severely injured in an electrical accident in Orinda this month has died, Santa Clara County officials said. Jose Herrera, 51, died early Wednesday morning at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, according to Santa Clara County Public Health Department spokeswoman Joy Alexiou. Information regarding the cause of death was not released because of privacy reasons. Members of Herrera's family have declined interview requests. The condition of the other man injured in the accident, Eduardo Guerra, 30, has improved from critical to serious, Alexiou said. Herrera and Guerra suffered second- and third-degree burns over most of their bodies when their cherry picker came into contact with high-voltage electrical lines the morning of June 5. An employee of Santa Clara-based Delta Window Cleaning, for which the two men worked, said Herrera had been employed there for 25 years. Window Cleaners Electrocuted in California.

Aqua-Dapter: Water Fed Pole Control - Following on from the previous blog on Steve Jones's "Aqua-Dapter." Please check out the new website that has been greatly improved from the old one including a 3D view of the new producct & mechanism. The "Aqua-dapter" is fitted to the top section of your pole, and connected to your brush. The control mechanism is operated from the handle, by pulling the hose to switch the water flow on and off. The tap can also be turned manually if you are working on ground level windows.

Take Your Dog to Work Day: Take Your Dog to Work Day simple Dos and Don’ts:
DO: - Bring a leash, a pillow, a water dish, food and all other amenities your dog may need throughout the day. Walk him often. No one scores big office points for a dog that pees, or worse, on corporate carpet. Make sure your job is OK with it in advance. Some coworkers may be allergic, highly fearful or the company, if it’s incredibly draconian, may not even allow dogs in the workplace at all. These are the same types of companies that may not allow your own bathroom breaks or maternity leave. Clean up any messes immediately, preferably not using your coworker’s favorite scarf.
DON’T: - Make everyone pet your dog. Yes, we know, he’s rightly the center of your world, but, alas, not everyone in that world out there happens to be an animal lover. Leave him unattended. This is a tough one, but a necessary one. Even the sweetest of pooches can act up when the proverbial mouse is away. Bring him to a job that is just dumb to bring a dog to. This includes window washing, restaurant kitchen work and along for the ride if you happen to specialize in roadkill pickup. Also know your dog and warn others of some of your pooch’s quirky behavior.

New lead paint rules cut risks - at a cost. Houses built before 1978 could contain the toxic metal - The Foxcroft two-story home looks like a scene from a sci-fi thriller: Yellow tape blocks the entryway, onlookers are warned away by a big "CAUTION" sign at the walk, and worker wearing what looks like a white hazmat suit plus mask pushes through two layers of plastic screening to get inside. Alien germs? A crime scene? Try replacement windows.
The plastic-swathed south Charlotte house is a glimpse into the future of some renovations to older homes. Workers who renovate homes built before 1978 now must be certified in how to contain the paint containing lead, a toxic metal. For the Foxcroft renovation, Dgien estimates the new rules added about 15 percent, to cover materials, labor and cleanup. On smaller jobs, the extra steps may not add as much. John Marino, owner of Window World and Siding and Carolina Cabinet Refacing, said the new rules are adding maybe $100 to $150 to his jobs for extra time. Responsible contractors, he said, are going to talk to customers in older homes and not give in to pressure to cut corners. "If they say 'Listen, I don't care about the lead test, we're going to look the other way,' we're going to test anyway," he said.
Rick Bainbridge, CEO of Bainbridge Crew in Charlotte, said the rules will likely add 10 to 15 percent to the cost of the home renovations his company does. Customers may balk, he acknowledged. "They have to realize the costs are part of the law," Bainbridge said. Homeowners need to avoid the temptation to go cheap, he said. "Right now you've got everybody in the remodeling business that's jumped in it, from custom builders to commercial contractors.... Every consumer, when they're having work done, should look to see if that contractor is a certified lead renovator. If not, run for the hills." See previous content here.


You can’t be afraid of heights if you’re part of San Diego fire’s Heavy Rescue 4. Sometimes nicknamed the SWAT team of firefighters, this is the crew that is called when window washers are stranded on the side of skyscrapers. While that has happened only four times in the past two years, the unit trains much more frequently, as members did Tuesday alongside a crew of Chula Vista firefighters. With a “Good luck, buddy!” shouted his way, San Diego firefighter Oscar Rodriguez rappelled down the side of downtown’s 480-foot Vantage Pointe condominium tower to a window-washer box.

Here's a view of Trump International Hotel & Tower that I bet you've never seen--unless you happen to be a helicopter pilot. Nevertheless, this aerial perspective nicely shows off the skyscraper's taut, elegantly-detailed curtain wall. And it's fun to peer down on Trump's outdoor terraces and their tiny swaths of shrubbrery. Oh yes-we also see the racetrack-like circuit for the skyscraper's clunky-looking, window-washing contraption. Reminds me of an oil well-except, of course, it's more than 1,000 feet above the sidewalks of Chicago.

“My best assignments are when no one can get in somewhere and the public needs to know,” says longtime photographer George Gongora, who is pictured rooftop at the Caller-Times this week and in a 1968 portrait at left. Gongora retires today after four decades with the newspaper. George Gongora climbed trees, crossed police lines and even dangled from the top of a high-rise building to capture images. It was all part of a relentless commitment to tell the story of his community. Gongora retires Thursday after nearly 44 years as a Caller-Times staff photographer. One Saturday when the two were working Gongora was sent to find a candid photograph around town for the next day’s paper. Hours later Gongora returned. He went straight to the dark room, developed a print and then handed it to Jimenez for review. The photo was of a window washer working on the side of a tall building. It was not taken from the ground. Jimenez asked Gongora how he got it. Gongora told him he took the elevator to the top where he convinced a maintenance worker to tie a rope around his waist and lower him two stories so he could get a photo. “I told him whatever you do, don’t do that again,” Jimenez said. “I was just astounded.”

Manitoba, Canada - Culex Tarsalis mosquitos are hatching across the Central Plains but the question is how many, and do they carry the West Nile virus. Dr. Tim Hilderman, Medical Officer with Manitoba Health, says no one knows for sure. He does note there's been a variation in numbers since 2003, when the first case of West Nile was diagnosed in Manitoba. Although precipitation plays a role, Hilderman says it's temperature that's the big determinant. He notes where there's heat, there's most likely Culex Tarsalis Mosquitoes. Every Manitoban can reduce their risk of infection by limiting time spent outdoors during the peak biting hours of dusk and dawn, using repellent, wearing light coloured loose fitting clothing, and making sure door and window screens fit properly, and are free of holes. Apart from decreasing your risk of being bitten, you can also make it less hospitable for mosquitoes in and around your home. This includes reducing standing water, cleaning eaves troughs, emptying bird baths, pool covers, barbeque pits, and covering rain barrels, and old tires. So far, Hilderman says only a small amount of Culex Tarsalis mosquitoes have emerged in the province. Most importantly, he adds none of the mosquito pools collected have tested positive for West Nile.

Water Fed Polers be aware: The North West of England faces a possible hosepipe ban to conserve water supplies in the face of a drought. Water company United Utilities will seek permission from the Environment Agency on Friday to draw more water from lakes and rivers. Following the driest start to the year in the region since 1929, many reservoirs have fallen to below half their capacity. A radio and newspaper campaign to use water wisely has been running throughout the region since last week. "It's been an unprecedented period of dry weather since December 2009, and we need to take action now so we can tap into available water resources if the dry weather continues," said John Sanders, United Utilities' Water Regulation and Strategy Manager. "We're monitoring the situation day by day but if we don't have any significant rainfall by the end of this month we will need a hosepipe ban to help conserve essential supplies," he added.
Last month, rainfall was just 38 percent of the long term average for the region. Haweswater reservoir in Cumbria has fallen to 61 percent capacity, nearly 20 percent below normal for this time of year. The firm will ask to increase the amount of water taken from Ennerdale reservoir in the Lake District to supply the Whitehaven area of West Cumbria. The possibility of more applications to take more water from both the Windermere and Longdendale Valley reservoirs is being discussed. Trevor Bishop, Head of Water Resources at the Environment Agency, said: "We are working closely with United Utilities to make sure they are doing everything they can to secure water supplies, manage customer demand and tackle leakage."

Southwall Technologies Inc., the worldwide innovator of high performance, energy-saving films and glass products, has been awarded a $1.43 million stimulus grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop advanced technologies aimed at making homes and buildings more energy efficient. Southwall will use the funding to accelerate development of higher performance and lower cost Heat Mirror low-emissivity and solar-reflective films and multi-cavity, suspended-film insulating glass technology to enable the broad commercialization of "super-insulating" R-10 windows.
According to DOE, the nation's 114 million homes and 74 million square feet of commercial floor space account for 40 percent of US total energy consumption and 39 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions. Because windows are the energy-efficiency weak link in homes and buildings, DOE is focusing grant funding on the development of innovative technologies that can create energy-saving windows that insulate like walls.
"The designation of Southwall as a DOE grant recipient recognizes our leadership in developing lightweight, multi-cavity insulating glass technology that promises to drive the performance of a new generation of cost-effective and energy-efficient windows," said Dennis Capovilla, Southwall chief executive officer. "We are pleased that DOE is working closely with industry to accelerate disruptive technology innovation that can dramatically reduce our nation's energy use." Southwall is one of seven California-based companies, including National Semiconductor and Applied Materials, to receive a coveted DOE grant for advanced energy-efficient building technology projects.

Day in Pictures, June 23: A reflection of a highrise is cast under a window washer Wednesday, June 23, 2010, in downtown Cleveland.

EPA Law In The US - Could Encroach On Window Cleaning

About the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule: A Federal regulation called the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (RRP) went into effect on April 22, 2010. It requires renovation and painting contractors and other trades who work in pre-1978 housing and who might disturb painted surfaces to become Lead Certified Renovators by taking a one-day course about using "Lead Safe Work Practices" on the job.

Why is the RRP Rule important? When lead paint is sanded or scraped or disturbed, microscopic particles of the metal mingle with the dust that is created. That "lead-containing" dust is what can seriously impact people's health, especially children and pregnant women. In the UK, a similar law may also be introduced soon., so best to check with the Lead Paint Association if you have concerns. If you are window cleaning on an older home with lead painted frames, it may be as well to seek local advise or have the frames tested as water fed poles & cleaning frames in effect, "disturb" painted surfaces.

New EPA Rule is An Unrealistic Way to Protect Homeowners from Lead - By Keith Coleman: Unless you’re a building professional or in a related field, chances are you have no idea about a federal law enacted April 22. In all probability, if your home was built before 1978, the law just further reduced the value of your home. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enacted The Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule to protect individuals from lead, a component of paint that was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for residential use in 1978.

The initial intentions of the agency were admirable – to inform the public of the issue and to protect those most vulnerable to lead exposure, specifically children under age 6 and those still in the womb. Understanding and accepting that lead can affect children’s brains and developing nervous systems, I, and other members of the New Jersey Building Materials Dealers Association (NJBMDA), believe we should take reasonable precautions. After all, some 32 years after lead was banned, virtually no enforcement of lead-safe work practices has been in place.

On April 22, 2008, the EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices. Under the rule, beginning April 22 of this year, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. The rule only applies to professionals. When homeowners do work on their own homes, they are not required to be trained or to follow the lead-safe practices.

An important component of the original law was something called an “Owner-occupant Opt-out Acknowledgment” (Opt-out). What the Opt-out stipulated was that if (1) no child under the age of 6 resides in the structure and if (2) no pregnant woman resides in the structure and if (3) the property is not a “child-occupied” facility (like a day care or a school), then (and only then), could the homeowner allow the professional contractor to not use the lead-safe work practices. If any of the above conditions existed, the contractor would be required to follow the lead-safe work practices.

This is important because the lead-safe work practices are not only expensive and time consuming to implement, but nearly impossible to follow in a real world situation. Nevertheless, the RRP Rule with Opt-out clause became the law of the land on April 22, 2010. But then something happened that few expected. The EPA removed the Opt-out provision on May 6. In other words, the RRP rule would have to be followed on every job where lead paint possibly existed or the professional carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and painters would open themselves up to fines in excess of $ 30,000 per day. With the Opt-out removed, the resulting rule is beyond unreasonable and will likely stop (legal) renovation and remodeling, further hurting an industry that has already been deeply affected by the economy.

What’s more, it will largely inhibit the energy conservation movement as older homes tend to waste more energy and need more renovations than newer homes. Living in the Northeast, or Middle Atlantic region, we also pay a higher price under this federal mandate because our housing is older than the national average. When it comes to waste, the new RRP Rule without Opt-out will create mountains of it, including plastic sheeting, plastic bags, duct tape, blue tape, spent test rods, and a whole host of other “supplies” that are only good for a single use.

Forget about being “green” and re-using that door that you were planning to put a fresh coat of non-lead-based paint on. Instead, wrap it in plastic, duct tape it like a Christmas gift, put it in the lined dumpster, and cart it off to the landfill. I don’t have the space here to describe how impossible it is to comply with this law. But let me hit the hot spots: Stipulations include capturing the water used when power-washing the exterior of a home to cutting out nice, neat little squares of plastic so that a ladder can somehow be safely placed on a floor covered in polyethylene, to stopping the wind from carrying lead dust away from a window unit replacement. I certainly recognize that precautions need to be taken to protect small children and pregnant women. But this notion of treating every single job like it involves life-threatening, hazardous waste material is unconscionable and unrealistic.

And what’s to stop a homeowner who first undertakes a remodeling job himself (and doesn’t follow the RRP rule), but, after four or five weeks, decides to call in a professional who does follow the RRP rule. Perhaps the previous unprotected exposure results in an elevated lead level of the homeowner that’s discovered several months after the remodeling job is complete. The lawyers will likely point to a professional remodeling contractor who disturbed lead paint and conclude that he/she must have had some level of negligence. In any event, the contractor can be facing expensive litigation.

Without extensive testing of all family members before, during, and immediately after a renovation project, there is no way to precisely determine the source, or timeframe, of lead contamination. But you can bet the professional contractor (the one who’s probably dealt with this material for the better part of his career yet does not possess elevated lead levels) will be deemed the villain. Here’s the bottom line. If you own a pre-1978 home, it is now worth less (a lot less) now than it was in March of this year. Not because of the economy, but because every time a contractor replaces a window or disturbs a potentially lead-based painted surface, you must pay for testing and compliance with work practices beyond your imagination.

Once again, government bureaucracy has run amuck. I, as well as the NJBMDA membership, am a firm believer of aggressively protecting young children and pregnant women from needless or excessive lead exposure. And in those situations where either is present, precautions should be taken and strictly enforced. That’s what this “rule” originally did. As for the majority of all other situations, however, it must be incumbent upon the professionals and homeowners to exercise levels of personal responsibility and reason, as they are the ones who potentially expose themselves to lead in the course of the renovation project.

Like it or not, the government cannot protect everyone from everything. If it attempts to, it will prevent us from the progress that’s so desperately needed in our housing industry and economy as a whole. Everyone is interested in safety, but removal of the Opt-out clause goes way over the line. Contact your elected officials and demand that the Opt-out clause be re-instated so that reasonable procedures and processes can be used to renovate and service homes.

Keith Coleman, of West Windsor, is a member of the New Jersey Association of Building Materials Dealers Association and owner of Hamilton Building Supply in Hamilton.