Perma-Siding and Window Co to pay Omaha couple for failing to tell them about lead paint risks before reno work

Albracht Perma-Siding and Window Co., of Omaha, Neb., has agreed to pay a $6,188 civil penalty to the United States to settle allegations that it failed to notify an Omaha couple about lead-based paint risks before the company or its subcontractors performed renovation work at their pre-1978 home. 

It also failed to keep records of lead safe work practices it stated it performed at 10 pre-1978 homes in Lincoln, Bellevue, and Omaha, Neb.

According to an administrative consent agreement filed by EPA Region 7 in Lenexa, Kan., Albracht or its subcontractors were legally required to provide owners and occupants of the properties with an EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet before starting renovations at the properties. It is also required to maintain records of required lead safe work practices performed at the properties.

Provision of the lead hazard information pamphlet to property owners and occupants is one requirement of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, which Congress passed in 1992 as an amendment of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

The regulation is intended to protect owners and occupants of residential properties, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 from health risks associated with lead-based paint. Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the United States in 1978. Most homes built before 1978 contain some amount of lead-based paint, and subsequent renovation activity of such properties can cause occupants to be exposed to dust, chips and debris that contain lead.

The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act requires renovators of such properties to obtain certified training, follow safe work practices and record-keeping requirements, and take specific steps to make owners and occupants aware of health risks associated with lead exposure before renovation work occurs.

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