216-RICR-50-15-5
A. This Part is promulgated pursuant to the authority conferred under R.I. Gen. Laws Chapters 23-1, 23-24.6, and 42-128.1, and 40 C.F.R. Part 745 for the purpose of establishing the requirements for evaluating lead in drinking water, household dust, painted surfaces, soil and/or other appropriate fixed surfaces that may contain lead.
A. Purpose of a Lead Inspection
1. A lead inspection may be initiated for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
e. To obtain one (1) of the following lead certificates, as applicable:
A. Wherever used in this Part, the terms listed below shall be construed in the following manner:
44. “Owner” means any person who, alone or jointly or severally with others:
A. Lead Hazard Mitigation Inspection
B. Comprehensive Environmental Lead Inspection (CELI)
C. Clearance Inspection
D. Renewal Inspection
E. Partial Lead Inspection
2. A Partial Lead Inspection may be limited to certain rooms/areas or media (paint, dust, soil, or water).
A. Environmental Lead Samples
B. Reporting Requirements
2. Lead inspection reports must contain all applicable information required on the forms and be submitted in the Department’s electronic reporting system:
4. In addition to submission in the Department’s electronic reporting system, all lead inspection reports, and related lead certificates must be submitted, with delivery confirmation, within seven (7) days to:
7. All environmental lead test results, inspection reports, laboratory reports, and/or lead certificates must be retained by the Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor’s employer for a minimum of three (3) years.
C. Conflict of Interest
1. A conflict of interest includes, but is not limited to the following:
a. Lead Inspectors, Lead Inspectors-in-Training, and their respective employer and/or employees shall not perform lead inspections or issue lead certificates at any property that is or will be owned or managed by the Lead Inspector, Lead Inspector-in-Training, their respective employer, employees, and/or family members.
b. Lead Inspectors and Lead Inspectors-in-Training, their respective employer and/or employees shall not perform lead inspections or issue lead certificates at any property where the Lead Inspector, Lead Inspector-in-Training, Lead Assessor, their respective employer, employees, and/or family members performed or will perform any renovation, repair, and painting (RRP), lead hazard control (LHC), or lead hazard reduction (LHR) activities.
A. Only a Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall conduct an LHM Inspection.
1. Exceptions
B. Paint
1. The Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall follow the comprehensive environmental lead inspection protocol for evaluating paint in § 5.5(B) of this Part, except that paint testing is not required. All pre-1978 painted surfaces not tested must be assumed to be lead-based paint.
C. Dust
1. The Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall collect dust wipe samples pursuant to § 5.7.3 of this Part.
D. Soil
1. Optional soil sampling may be conducted pursuant to § 5.7.4 of this Part. The Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall follow the comprehensive environmental lead inspection protocol for soil sampling in § 5.5(D) of this Part.
E. Water
F. Certificate of Lead Conformance
1. The Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor who conducted the LHM Inspection shall issue a Certificate of Lead Conformance (Form LHM-2-1) when the dwelling or dwelling unit and common areas, as applicable, including the building exterior and accessory structures, meet the lead mitigation standards in § 5.8 of this Part.
2. Between November 1st and March 31st, the Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor who conducted the LHM Inspection shall issue an Interior Certificate of Lead Conformance (Form LHM-2-3) when only the interior of the dwelling or dwelling unit and common areas, as applicable, meet the lead mitigation standards in § 5.8 of this Part.
A. General Requirements
B .Paint
1. A Lead Inspector shall evaluate pre-1978 painted surfaces using one (1) or more approved testing methods in § 5.7.2 of this Part, and such evaluation must include evaluation of:
C. Dust
2. Residential Dwelling Units
a. For each single-family house or dwelling unit, a minimum of five (5) dust wipe samples must be collected, with at least one (1) sample from each of the following surfaces, as available:
3. Residential Common Areas
a. In addition to the dust wipe sampling required in § 5.5(C)(2) of this Part, a minimum of one (1) dust wipe sample must be collected from each of the following surfaces in each common area:
4. Residential Family Child Care Homes
5. Non-residential Child Care Centers
a. For each child care center, nursery school, preschool, kindergarten classroom, or other non-residential child care program, a minimum of one (1) dust wipe sample must be collected from each of the following surfaces:
6. Additional Sampling
a. In addition to the minimum dust wipe sampling requirements in § 5.5(C), additional dust sampling may be collected:
7. Exemption
a. A Lead Inspector may, in his or her discretion, choose to postpone dust sampling until the clearance inspection if any interior lead-based paint hazards were identified in:
D. Soil
2. Primary Structure
a. A minimum of one (1) sample of bare soil must be collected between the foundation and the drip line on each side of the primary structure, or from any other area that contains bare soil on a side of the primary structure where the soil in the drip zone is covered, pursuant to § 12.5.13 of this Subchapter.
3. Accessory Structure(s)
a. A minimum of one (1) sample of bare soil must be collected within the drip zone of each painted accessory structure, including, but not limited to, garages, sheds, play equipment, and fencing known or suspected to have been painted with lead-based paint.
4. Play Area
a. A minimum of one (1) sample of bare soil must be collected in each play area, or mid-yard if there is no play area. It should be noted in the lead inspection report if there is no area designated or suitable for play.
5. Additional Sampling
a. In addition to the minimum soil evaluation requirements of this Section, additional soil sampling may be conducted:
6. Exemption
a. A Lead Inspector may delay soil sampling to a future date when the ground is frozen or covered with ice or snow.
E. Water
2. First Draw Sample
b. Residential Facility
c. Non-Residential Facility
3. Flushed Sample
b. Residential Facility
c. Non-Residential Facility
F. Lead-Safe Certificate
1. The Lead Inspector who conducted the Comprehensive Environmental Lead Inspection shall issue the following lead certificate, as applicable:
c. Between November 1st and March 31st, an Interior Conditional Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-15-I) when at least the interior paint, dust, and water meet the conditional lead-safe standards in § 5.8 of this Part.
A. The purpose of a clearance inspection is to ensure that lead hazard reduction (LHR), lead hazard control (LHC), or renovation, repair, and painting (RRP) activities:
1. Were performed using lead-safe work practices;
B. A lead Inspector, who performed a clearance inspection where the visual assessment or environmental lead sample results failed to meet the requirements of §§ 5.6 and 5.8 of this Part, shall inform the owner and Lead Supervisor or Lead Renovator, as applicable, of the failure(s) and additional work required prior to repeating the clearance inspection.
A. General Requirements
B. The Lead Hazard Reduction Clearance Inspection must include:
D. For an LHR project done in phases where temporary Partial Lead-Safe Certificates (Form PBLC-27) were issued at the conclusion of each phase of the project, a Conditional Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-15) or Full Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-21), as applicable, must be issued by the Lead Inspector who conducts the final LHR clearance inspection.
G. A Lead Inspector who performed an LHR Clearance Inspection must also provide a signed copy of any related lead certificates to the Lead Contractor who performed the work.
A. General Requirements
B. An LHC Clearance Inspection must include:
E. For an LHC project done in phases where temporary Partial Lead-Safe Certificates (Form PBLC-27) were issued at the conclusion of each phase of the project, a Conditional Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-15) or Full Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-21), as applicable, must be issued by the Lead Inspector who conducts the final LHC clearance inspection.
F. For a Conditional Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-15) or Full Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-21):
G. Alternatively, an LHM Inspection may be performed by a Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor, in lieu of an LHC Clearance Inspection, to obtain a Certificate of Lead Conformance (LHM-2-1).
E. Spot Removal
1. A clearance inspection is not required for spot removal or minor repairs and maintenance activities provided that the work did not include any:
d. Demolition activities.
A. General Requirements
2. The purpose of a Renewal Inspection is to determine that a child care center, single-family house, or dwelling unit and common areas, as applicable, are maintained in a lead-safe condition, free of lead hazards, in order to renew a Conditional Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-15).
B. The Renewal Inspection must include:
4. Additional water sampling, pursuant to §§ 5.5(E) and 5.7.5 of this Part, in all instances in where repairs or modifications to the plumbing system were made since the previous lead inspection.
A. General Requirements
1. A Partial Lead Inspection does not provide the complete evaluations of a Comprehensive Environmental Lead Inspection and cannot serve to determine lead-safe compliance with this Part for a child care center, single-family house, or dwelling unit and common areas.
B. Testing Methods
C. Lead Certificate
2. A Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor may issue a temporary Partial Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-27) for any rooms/areas or media that meet the lead-safe standards in § 5.8 of this Part but is not required to do so.
A. General Requirements
1. Only a Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor may perform representative testing of painted surfaces to determine the applicability of the RRP Rule.
2. A Lead Renovator, who uses EPA-recognized lead test kits or collects paint chip samples to determine the applicability of the RRP Rule, shall test or paint chip sample every affected component.
B. Reporting Requirement
1. EPA-recognized lead test kit for positive or inconclusive results by a Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor;
6. Any other method approved in writing by the Department.
| Approved Lead Testing Methods | ||||
| Paint | Dust | Soil | Water | |
| EPA recognized Lead Test Kit | Lead AssessorLead InspectorSupervised Lead Inspector-in-TrainingCertified Lead Renovator | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| XRF Analyzer | Lead InspectorSupervised Lead Inspector-in-Training | ELPAT-accredited person | ELPAT-accredited person | Not Applicable |
| Lead Sampling for Laboratory Analysis | Lead AssessorLead InspectorSupervised Lead Inspector-in-TrainingCertified Lead Renovator | Lead AssessorLead InspectorSupervised Lead Inspector-in-Training | Lead AssessorLead InspectorSupervised Lead Inspector-in-Training | Lead AssessorLead InspectorSupervised Lead Inspector-in-Training |
A. General Requirements
1. The construction date of the subject building, dwelling, and/or accessory structure(s) must be determined:
2. Only a Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor may group together building components which have the same painting histories into a single representative test in one (1) building, dwelling, dwelling unit, common area, or accessory structure, as applicable.
3. A Lead Renovator shall test each component that will be disturbed by renovation, repair, and painting (RRP) activities, either by using a lead test kit or by collecting a paint chip sample for laboratory analysis.
1. EPA-recognized lead test kits may be used by a certified Lead Renovator in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions to confirm the presence of lead-based paint, either to show that damaged paint is a lead hazard or to show whether the Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule applies to the tested surface.
C. Paint Chip Sampling
D. XRF Testing
5. The manufacturer, model number, and serial number of the XRF Analyzer and results of all calibration verification checks for a lead inspection must be recorded in the lead inspection report.
A. General Requirements
B. Dust Wipe Sampling
1. A Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall collect single surface dust wipe samples in accordance with:
C. Field Blank
2. The purpose of the field blank is to identify errors or contamination in supplies, sample collection, or analysis. If the field blank result is not below the reporting limit of the analyzing laboratory, then all dust wipe sample results from the subject building are considered invalid, for the purposes of this Part, and must be repeated in their entirety.
A. For each soil sample, the Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall collect the soil samples from the top half inch (0.5”) of soil using a clean spade, auger, centrifuge tube, or by hand while wearing a new, clean pair of powderless disposable gloves.
2. A composite sample must incorporate equal amounts of subsamples which are representative of the sampling area.
A. General Requirements
1. A Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall:
B. Residential Water Sampling
1. A Lead Inspector or Lead Assessor shall:
C. Non-Residential Water Sampling
C. All horizontal surfaces except ceilings (e.g. floors, stairs, window sills, window wells) must be covered with a smooth, cleanable covering or coating.
G. A Full Lead-Safe Certificate (Form PBLC-21) documents that the lead concentrations in all media (paint, dust, soil, and water) at a child care center, dwelling, or dwelling unit and common areas are below the lead-safe thresholds shown in § 5.8.5 of this Part and no action is required.
D. Intact paint and/or covered soil that were not tested may be considered conditionally lead safe for as long as the intact paint condition and/or soil coverings are maintained.
A. Lead hazard means that the lead concentrations in paint, dust, soil, and/or water are above the lead-safe thresholds shown in § 5.8.5 of this Part.
5.8.5Environmental Lead Standards
| Media | Lead Safe | Conditionally Lead Safe | Lead Hazard | |
| Paint | All Paint | Intact Paint | Damaged Paint | |
| < 5,000 ppm< 1.0 mg/cm2 | = 5,000 ppm= 1.0 mg/cm2 | = 5,000 ppm= 1.0 mg/cm2 | ||
| Dust | Floors | < 5 µg/ft2 | N/A | = 5 µg/ft2 |
| Sills | < 40 µg/ft2 | N/A | = 40 µg/ft2 | |
| Wells | < 100 µg/ft2 | N/A | = 100 µg/ft2 | |
| Any Other Surface | < 10 µg/ft2 | N/A | = 10 µg/ft2 | |
| Soil | All Soil | Covered Soil | Bare Soil | |
| < 400 ppm | = 400 ppm | = 400 ppm | ||
| Water | < 15 ppb | N/A | = 15 ppb |