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Construction Trades

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My name is Paul Nygren. As a licensed contractor myself, I know adding the issue of lead to your projects is the last thing you want to do.

I created this company Minnesota Lead Testers to help you do several things:

  • Comply with EPA rules.
  • Reduce your liability from potential lawsuits and fines from clients and government agencies.
  • Protect the health of your clients, pets, employees, and trade partners.

Some contractors are choosing to simply ignore the issue, risking fines or lawsuits. Others are trying to do things the correct way but are not certain how best to handle the lead issue.

 

 

What should you do?

There are some guidelines you should follow when working on houses built prior to 1978:

  • #1 Keep documentation on how you are testing for and controlling the lead!
    • I recommend using the checklist off of the EPA's website EPA checklist- how can they complain if you are using their own documents.
  • Take pictures of your dust containment setup for your files.
  • Have the proper documentation in your contracts to cover the lead issue.
  • I do recommend having XRF testing performed on most pre-1978 homes.

Reasons to have Minnesota Lead Testers perform XRF testing on your projects:

  • My background as a contractor gives me insight into your business/client relationship. I can explain the lead issues to you, your clients, and trade partners when needed and I understand the construction of buildings and what should be tested.
  • Many homes we test built prior to 1978 have no lead or isolated areas containing lead (having our report proves there is no lead).
  • often components containing lead (which will show up as positive with a swab test) are below the 1.0 mg./cm2 level that requires special procedures (jumping through hoops, backflips, etc.).
  • We typically test a minimum of 30 test locations per room to properly document the lead levels.
    • How long will that take you to do with a swab kit?
    • Not to mention that swabs are not considered accurate and will not work on many materials.
  • We are licensed Lead Testers and Assessors by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) giving the most credibility to clients, attorneys (that may want to sue you), and the EPA. Showing that you have accurate test results.
  • The detailed report we provide makes it easy to understand what items have been tested and what the lead level is at each test location. Sample test report
  • We save you from having to create some of the required Lead Safe documentation.
  • In addition to general liability and workers comp insurance, we carry a $1,000,000.00 Errors and Omissions policy to help with issues that may arise from a lawsuit.

We also perform:

  • Clearance Dust Sampling before and after projects.

Testing Prices