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The Contractor Coaching Partnership Blog

RRP Enforcement, MASS DOS "Tell every contractor you know we're out there"

Posted by Mark Paskell on Fri, Aug 06, 2010 @ 03:56 PM

Today we received a call from a Massachusetts painting contractor in Rockport Mass., about a site visit from the Department of Occupational Safety (DOS). On 7/9/2010 the Mass DOS became the enforcer for the RRP Lead Law in the state.

With the painter contractor's permission we are sharing this enforcement story.

Jerry Enos, owner of Jerry Enos Painting Inc of Rockport, Mass, is re-painting a home in Rockport. His men were trained in The Contractor Coaching Partnership RRP Seminars. He is using grinders and sanders to remove old paint to prepare for new coats of primer and paint. His job was visited by a DOS inspector from the Haverhill office twice. The inspector was at the site due to a phone call from a neighbor who had questions about the project. This homeowner also called the EPA last year on another project on the same street. Jerry met with the inspector and discussed the lead safe practices he is using to contain the dust and debris and the subsequent cleanup. Jerry had no need to worry because he is properly trained, certified and registered to perform work on pre-1978 properties. Jerry enclosed the structure with vertical containment to contain and control the spread of dust. His men are using the proper tools tools and they have hepa vacuums to catch the dust and debris caused by the grinding and sanding.

The inspector visited the job twice. Jerry is glad that he properly implemented the lead safe practices into his production process. The inspector complimented on a job well done. Jerry doesn't have to worry about fines or having his job shut down because he made the right business decision to implement his training.

A Warning For Contractors From the DOS Inspector

Jerry and the inspector had conversations about how the State of Massachusetts is going to enforce the law. Jerry said he hopes the state will take this law seriously and enforce it across the board to create a level playing field. 

Many Lead Certified contractors are concerned that they will have to compete against contractors who are not certified or not following the Lead Law. In our RRP trainings, contractor students share their frustrations about illegal allien contractors, non-compliant contractors with no certification, firemen and teachers working on the side, many taking cash and working without permits or insurance and under the table workers.

In their conversation Jerry was told by the DOS inspector that the state is taking this very seriously. The inspector then went on to say;

 "Tell every contractor you know we're out there enforcing. Tell your friends, your neighbors, contractors you know, suppliers and trades. We are here and we will enforce the new law" DOS Inspector.

We thank Jerry for sharing this information with us. We compliment him on implementing these practices into his work. He was prepared and prevented an unpleasant site visit with an inspector.

Do you have a true story about DOS or EPA site visits to share?

If you have a factual story that you would like to share and see posted please let us know. Help us get the word out so we can help other contractors learn about this new law.

mark the coach 

Tags: EPA RRP Training for Contractors, EPA RRP Fines, Enforcement