Blog

Happy Cyber Monday!

First, a disclaimer for Testudo's clients in Wisconsin: The changes to the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule you are about to read apply mostly to the federal version of the rule. The Department of Health Services (DHS) oversees RRP implementation and enforcement in Wisconsin and it is not required to follow suit on every change the EPA makes to the federal RRP rule.

Contractors and landlords: Testudo wants you to know that we are one of the few companies in Wisconsin equipped to provide Lead Dust Wipe Clearance services. Testudo expects the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take final action very soon on whether it will amend the RRP rule to require a Lead Dust Wipe Clearance on lead-safe job sites throughout the nation.

Get ready for more from the EPA's RRP rule. This month it could be changed to require contractors to work with a third party to verify a job site is free of lead dust after a renovation is completed. The new aspect for the rule is commonly referred to as "Dust Wipe Clearance." Luckily, Testudo is already offering dust wipe clearance services, and you can contact us today to learn more or to set up an appointment.

Testudo is now offering Partial Lead-Based Paint Inspections to all corners of Wisconsin, including Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, La Crosse, Superior and more. This inspection will be conducted using an XRF analyzer, which is more cost- and time-effective that traditional methods. Using an XRF analyzer, you'll know the results of your tests immediately.

I just ran across the Toxic Treat Index created by the Orange County Register. As many of you know, especally if you have been through a Testudo training, lead is lurking in many products where you wouldn't expect to see it. Unfortunately, some companies are still using it as a cheap sweetener in candies... follow the link to see just a few of the candies that have been found to contain lead as an ingredient.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is ramping up its enforcement of the Renovation, Repair & Painting (RRP) rule. During the winter months I spoke with a lot of building contractors and landlords who assumed the EPA would just let this whole thing go by the wayside; however, it's now clear that is not the case. In just the past two months, EPA has taken a significant number of enforcement steps. Here are some of them:

Need lead training for the EPA's RRP rule but don't want to travel? Testudo offers on-site lead courses to anywhere in Wisconsin—all you have to do is contact us to sort out the details. This offer is great for local building associations, apartment associations, unions, lumber yards and general contractors who want to get all their sub-contractors trained.

One of the points I addressed in a recent article for the Wisconsin Apartment Association's magazine (Cleaning Up Lead Law Confusion) deals with Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule oversight in Wisconsin. Unlike the majority of the U.S. where the EPA oversees the law, Wisconsin administers its own version of the RRP rule through its Department of Health Services.

Following the RRP rule requires a lot of documents, to put it bluntly. You have the warning signs, common area notices, training documentation, and the Renovate Right pamphlet you're supposed to hand out at every target-housing renovation job you carry out. Documentation is a large part of the rule, actually, so there's no surprise you'll need to invest more in your office paper and copying machines.