The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rolling out a "Look for the Logo" campaign that calls for remodelers certified under the agency's lead-paint rule to sport a label showing their status and for customers seeking a contractor to check on whether that pro is displaying the logo.
"Lead paint comes with a lifetime guarantee. It will do damage for generations," a series of full-, half-, and quarter-page public-service advertisements declare. Their tagline reads: "Protect Your Family. Look for the logo." The campaign also features Web banner ads and a widget (shown below) that can be inserted onto websites linking to a database of remodelers certified under the agency's Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule.
Firms can receive their custom Lead-Safe Certified Logo from EPA, via e-mail, approximately two weeks after they have been certified. For the Logo Use Guidelines,visit: http://www2.epa.gov/lead/lead-safe-certification-firm-logo-use-guidelines.
The ad campaign's imminent rollout was signaled in late April by Tanya Hodge Mottley, director of the EPA's National Program Chemicals Division and the chief official in charge of the RRP program, but the logo wasn't released to REMODELING until today. In an interview with REMODELING in April, Mottley said that the campaign will target groups of people who have or watch over small children, such as day care centers and parent organizations.
Launched in 2010, the lead-paint rule requires remodelers to engage in practices designed to minimize the potential spread of lead-paint dust in homes built before 1978—the year that lead-based paint was banned. To date, more than 135,000 renovation companies and roughly 493,000 individuals have been certified to engage in lead-safe practices when working on homes where the possibility of lead paint exists. Companies that fail to comply with paperwork and safety rules could face fines of up to $37,500 per day.
See past REMODELING stories about RRP and lead-safe practices
