Lead-safe work practices that minimize occupants' exposure to lead hazards
This domain tests the field practices that keep dust contained and occupants out of the work area. Exam items ask you to spot a prohibited method, identify who performs cleaning verification, and distinguish verification from clearance.
Containment and occupant protection
- Isolate the work area with plastic sheeting on floors, cover furniture, seal vents and doorways, and post warning signs.
- Keep occupants, especially children under 6 and pregnant women, out of the work area. In child-occupied facilities, ensure no children are present during work.
- Use a HEPA vacuum and wet methods, mist surfaces before disturbance, and avoid generating visible dust.
- Workers need appropriate PPE and hygiene: no eating or drinking in the work area, and hands and face washed before breaks.
Prohibited practices
- Open-flame burning or torching.
- Heat guns capable of operating above 1100°F.
- Methylene chloride paint strippers.
- High-temperature power sanding, grinding, planing, or needle gunning without HEPA exhaust.
- Dry scraping except in limited areas, and abrasive blasting without HEPA containment.
Cleaning verification
- After final cleaning, the certified renovator visually inspects the area, then wet-wipes surfaces with disposable wipes and compares them to a cleaning verification card. If the wipe is darker than the card, re-clean and repeat.
- RRP requires cleaning verification, not clearance testing. Clearance is an abatement requirement.
- Exterior work requires visual inspection for visible dust and debris, plus proper waste collection and sealing.
Worked example
A renovator strips trim with a heat gun rated to 1200°F inside a plastic-contained room. Containment does not cure the violation; the heat gun exceeds the 1100°F limit and is prohibited. The correct approach is wet scraping or a chemical stripper that does not contain methylene chloride, with HEPA vacuuming. In a second scenario, a worker dry-sands a door and uses a box fan to ventilate; the fan spreads dust and dry sanding is prohibited. The certified renovator must stop the work, switch to HEPA and wet methods, and perform cleaning verification.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing cleaning verification with clearance testing.
- Thinking plastic sheeting alone is enough without sealing and HEPA cleaning.
- Believing a dust mask protects occupants; containment protects them.
- Missing that a prohibited practice is a violation even when containment is used.
- Letting occupants remain in the work area during active work.