Litigation-I Win, You Lose vs. Mediation-Win/Win

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  Litigation is a zero-sum game.  It destroys relationships and fosters enmity between the parties.  Parties rarely walk away happy.  Even if they win, the expense of litigation is enormous, and collecting on judgments is difficult. Disputes ultimately resolve, but the focus on winning at any cost can lead to prolonged legal battles.  Living with a lawsuit causes ongoing stress, which can distract you from your business and even have an effect on your health. In a courtroom, the final decision lies with a judge or jury who may not fully grasp the complexities of the case. Parties relinquish control over the outcome, potentially leaving them dissatisfied with the final judgment. Mediation has the opposite effect.   Rather than polarizing people, it enables the parties to attack the issues and not each other.     The process promotes open communication, collaboration and problem-solving, which enables parties to actively participate in crafting ...

When the EPA Comes to Call

I received a call last week from a home contracting company in the Midwest about a franchisee who had received a letter from the EPA.  They were advised that a representative would be coming to their offices or the job site to review their procedures under the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule.  Given that the federal fine can be as high as $37,500 per day, per infraction, they were quite concerned about how to handle this visit and avoid any problems.  I advised the following:

1.  Establish whether your work is covered.
   a. Is renovation work being done on pre-1978 homes?
   b. Does the work disturb at least 6 interior sq. ft. of paint or 20 exterior sq. ft.

2.  Put together a loose-leaf notebook with your certified firm and certified renovator certificates.  Include any  initial course completion certificate and the most recent refresher course completion certificate.

3.  Have a file for each homeowner with an acknowledgement that the Renovate Right booklet was received by the homeowner.

4.  Maintain documentation to show that the certified renovator was on site during posting of signs, work-area containment and cleaning verification.

5.  Demonstrate that on-the-job training was provided  to other workers (who have not taken the certified renovator training course) on the lead safe work practices to be used in performing their assigned tasks.

6 Ensure that the work practices are being followed, including maintaining the integrity of the containment barriers and ensuring that dust or debris does not spread beyond the work area.  Take pictures to provide evidence that the rules were followed!

7. When requested by the party contracting for renovation services, must use an EPA recognized test kit or
must collect paint chip samples, submit them to an EPA-recognized laboratory, and obtain test results from the laboratory to determine whether components affected by the renovation contain lead-based paint.
(For more information regarding test kits call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD
(5323), or check our web site at www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm).  Note: you must assume leadbased paint is present for housing and buildings covered by this rule, unless testing is done that determines
the components affected are lead-free.

8. Show that the certified renovator was available, either on-site or by telephone, at all times the renovations were being conducted.

9. Keep documentation of the  project cleaning verification.

• All documents must be retained for three years following the completion of a renovation.
• Records that must be retained include:
• Reports certifying that lead-based paint is not present.
• Records relating to the distribution of the lead pamphlet.
• Documentation of compliance with the requirements of the Lead-Based Paint Renovation,
   Repair, and Painting Program.  This information must also be given to the owner and, if different, the
occupant of the housing or unit that was renovated (EPA has a sample form that is available at
   www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/samplechecklist.pdf)

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