A recent case against a window replacement firm demonstrates the resolve of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce the Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule:
In Pennsylvania, the agency settled with Thermo-Twin Industries, a window manufacturer and installer that agreed to pay a $25,690 civil penalty for alleged RRP violations. The company is accused of violating RRP rules in 2010 and 2011 while renovating three residential properties constructed before 1978. According to the EPA, company employees failed to take required lead-safe precautions, such as removing objects and covering the work area with plastic or other impermeable sheeting. The company also allegedly failed to provide property owners and occupants with the required hazard information pamphlet, "Renovate Right," before starting renovations.
Recently, the EPA has been making a splash in a number of high-profile RRP cases, the most notable of which is the record $500,000 civil penalty against Lowe's for alleged RRP violations by contractors working at 13 of the company's 1700 stores. And days earlier, four New England firms were cited for RRP violations and must pay penalties ranging from $2,200 to $30,000.
