Sec. 201. Lead-based pipe activities training and certification
641 words·~3 min read·
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Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (in this title referred to as the Administrator ) shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (acting through the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), promulgate final regulations governing lead-based pipe activities to ensure that individuals engaged in such activities are properly trained; that training programs are accredited; and that contractors are engaged in such activities are certified.
Such regulations shall contain standards for performing lead-based pipe activities, taking into account reliability, effectiveness, and safety. Such regulations shall require that all risk assessment, inspection, and abatement activities performed in housing shall be performed by certified contractors. Final regulations shall contain specific requirements for the accreditation of lead-based pipe activities training programs for workers, supervisors, inspectors and planners, and other individuals involved in lead-based pipe activities, including, but not limited to, each of the following:
Minimum requirements for the accreditation of training providers. Minimum training curriculum requirements. Minimum training hour requirements. Minimum hands-on training requirements. Minimum trainee competency and proficiency requirements. Minimum requirements for training program quality control. The Administrator (or the State in the case of an authorized State program) shall impose a fee on— persons operating training programs accredited under this title; and lead-based pipe activities contractors certified in accordance accreditation with paragraph (1).
The fees shall be established at such level as is necessary to cover the costs of administering and enforcing the standards and regulations under this section which are applicable to such programs and contractors. The fee shall not be imposed on any State, local government, or nonprofit training program. The Administrator (or the State in the case of an authorized State program) may waive the fee for lead-based pipe activities contractors for the purpose of training their own employees.
For purposes of this title, the term lead-based pipe activities means— in the case of housing, risk assessment, inspection, and abatement; and in the case of any public building constructed before 1986, commercial building, or any other structure, evaluation and abatement of lead-based pipes and lead-based pipe hazards. In order to reduce the risk of exposure to lead in connection with renovation and remodeling of housing, public buildings, and commercial buildings, the Administrator shall, within 18 months after the enactment of this section, promulgate guidelines for the conduct of such renovation and remodeling activities which may create a risk of exposure to dangerous levels of lead.
The Administrator shall disseminate such guidelines to persons engaged in such renovation and remodeling through hardware stores, employee organizations, trade groups, State and local agencies, and through other appropriate means. The Administrator shall conduct a study of the extent to which persons engaged in various types of renovation and remodeling activities in housing, public buildings, and commercial buildings are exposed to lead in the conduct of such activities or disturb lead and create a lead-based pipe hazard on a regular or occasional basis.
The Administrator shall complete such study and publish the results thereof within 30 months after the enactment of this section. Within 4 years after the enactment of this section, the Administrator shall revise the regulations to apply the regulations to renovation or remodeling activities in housing and commercial buildings that create lead-based pipe hazards. In determining which contractors are engaged in such activities, the Administrator shall utilize the results of the study and consult with the representatives of labor organizations, lead-based pipe activities contractors, persons engaged in remodeling and renovation, experts in lead health effects, and others.
If the Administrator determines that a category of contractors engaged in renovation or remodeling does not require certification, the Administrator shall publish an explanation of the basis for that determination.