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About Peter Lawton

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So far Peter Lawton has created 35 blog entries.

Updates to Draft 9th Edition of the Massachusetts Building Code APPROVED

That's right! For you folks who work in Massachusetts, the final draft of the Massachusetts Building Code, 9th Edition was approved by BBRS on January 12, 2016. The final draft is under review by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance and, when the review is completed, a public hearing will be scheduled. In the meantime, BBRS is accepting written comments before, during, and after the public hearing. Review the code, get familiar with it, and submit [...]

2016-01-27T15:36:34-04:00February 2nd, 2016|9th Edition, BBRS|
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Who Needs New Year’s Resolutions?

Most of us do the same thing on New Year’s — Make resolutions we don’t keep: Lose weight Eat more vegetables Get organized Sound familiar? And yet, these resolutions are important. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t waste time even thinking about them. So, we set up the goals even if we aren’t sure we can reach them because, as we all know, there are only so many hours in a day. You know another goal that’s important? [...]

2016-01-26T10:43:13-04:00January 26th, 2016|OSHA NEWS|
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Looking for HES Training?

Our friends at Home Performance Institute of New England told us Connecticut contractors looking for HES certification need EPA Lead Renovation, Repair & Painting (RRP) certification and OSHA 10 Construction classes in addition to BPI training. We’re very excited to hold both of these critical classes at our new partner location, the Home Performance Institute of New England, located in Stamford, Connecticut. There, students receive the same high quality training they’ve come to expect from LeadSMART Training [...]

2015-12-10T15:07:03-04:00December 11th, 2015|HES Training, Home Performance Institute, OSHA 10 Training, RRP Training|
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OSHA Hazard Communication Standard & The Right To Know

The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) was written to give workers the right to know about hazardous chemicals in the workplace. It has since been expanded to ensure workers have access to information about these hazards, establishing a “right to understand.” The HCS requires that: Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import, and prepare labels and safety data sheets to convey the hazard information to their downstream customers; [...]

2015-10-21T00:58:44-04:00October 6th, 2015|HazCom, OSHA NEWS|
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So, Your Client Read that Forbes Article

Forbes magazine recently published an online article about a lead paint lawsuit in California. Why does that matter? Well, I’m not going to comment on the case. That isn’t what’s relevant to you, at least at this point. What I don’t want is you to be blindsided by a comment made by the author in this article. That comment may cause you problems. So what did he say? He wrote: “…extensive government-sponsored studies showing that the best [...]

2016-01-26T10:21:01-04:00September 8th, 2015|LEAD PAINT NEWS|
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It’s Almost Here — the 9th Edition of the Massachusetts Building Code

Recently approved by the BBRS (the Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations & Standards), the 9th Edition of the Massachusetts Building Code (780 CMR) is nearing completion. These changes are based on the International Code Council (ICC) published 2015 I-Codes. Expected to become effective early 2016, it’s important to know that unlike past updates, there will be not be a “concurrency period.” What, exactly, does that mean? Well, generally, when the State of Massachusetts updates its building code, [...]

2015-11-02T10:29:51-04:00August 26th, 2015|9th Edition, BBRS, MA Building Code|
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Change to EPA Firm Application Process

Starting September 15, 2015, the EPA will no longer accept mailed firm certification applications. That means when it’s time for you to renew your company’s EPA RRP FIRM CERTIFICATION (License), it has to be done on-line. Sorry, guys. Fortunately for you, we have a link on our forms page that will take you right to the on-line application. Or, you can link directly to the application from here. You will be able to pay by credit card, debit [...]

2016-01-26T10:22:38-04:00August 7th, 2015|EPA, LEAD PAINT NEWS|
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RRP AND YOU

The 6 year-old EPA RRP Rule requires that firms or individuals performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and pre-schools built before 1978 use Certified Renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers and follow lead-safe work practices. So what does this mean for you? It means that if you work on buildings built before 1978 you need to be certified or you are breaking the law. Most contractors [...]

2015-09-29T21:03:46-04:00July 1st, 2015|LEAD PAINT NEWS|
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