2006 Economic Forecast

Update on lead-safe work practices

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicagoland recently hosted a seminar on lead-safe work practices for its local Remodelors Council, and the news was both good and bad.

The NAHB's Gary Suskauer, on hand for the class, said the effects of the EPA's impending rule on lead safety for the renovation of pre-1978 housing likely wouldn't be felt by remodelers for at least two more years. The contractors in attendance, however, were less than thrilled upon learning some of the potential safeguards they would be forced to adopt in order to comply with stricter standards. Workers could be forced to wear hazmat suits and respirators, which will drive up costs and slow down production, in addition to using HEPA vacuums, spray bottles, plastic dropcloths and having to seal off the work area to contain airborne lead particles. Mandatory post-project clearance tests could also be instituted by the EPA to enforce compliance.

Suskauer said the NAHB will likely issue an update on its plan to test some applicable renovation jobs at the International Builders' Show in Orlando in January.