UAMS Hosts Sept. 13 Lead-Safe Practices Workshop for Contractors to Become Certified Under New EPA Rule
| LITTLE ROCK – Contractors can still register for a daylong workshop on reducing health risks associated with lead-based paint in older homes to be held starting at 8 a.m. on Monday in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.
Attendees can register the day of the workshop in Room 3202 at the College of Public Health building on the UAMS campus, 4301 W. Markham St. in Little Rock. For more information, call 501-526-6662, or e-mail aferguson@uams.edu.
The cost of the workshop is $135 and will include certification to meet a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that requires contractors and those renovating older structures to take precautions to minimize exposure to lead dust. Passing an exam administered at the workshop will lead to certification in the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) program.
Certification is required by the EPA for anyone who is compensated to renovate, remodel or paint a residence or child facility built before 1978 (and will be disturbing more than six square feet of area inside the property and more than 20 square feet outside the property, and any window sill area).
Training covers regulations, health effects of lead, set-up, containment, prohibited practices, personal protective equipment, cleaning verification, recordkeeping, training of non-certified workers, firm certification and other related topics.
Parking is available in the Parking 2 parking deck across from the College of Public Health for $7 for the day. Free parking is available at War Memorial Stadium, with shuttle service to the campus.
Attendees should bring their own lunch or plan to purchase food on campus.
Arkansas still has many structures built before 1978, when the federal government banned use of lead-based paint due to health concerns. Children exposed to lead dust can suffer from hearing, balance and memory loss, in addition to developmental problems. Adults can suffer damage to their central nervous or reproductive systems.
UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a 540,000-square-foot hospital; six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,775 students and 748 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.