Reading your risk assessment
A risk assessment is the first inspection. A licensed assessor looks at paint, dust and soil around the property, tests them for lead, and lists anything that needs to be fixed.
1. Start with "At a Glance"
To get a quick summary view of your property, look for the page titled At a Glance, usually around page 6. It's a one-page summary of the whole report. The colored box near the top gives you the result:
Below that, By the Numbers counts the hazards in three areas: paint, dust and soil. Each one has a short table showing where the hazard is and how to fix it.
2. Hazards, potential hazards and excluded items
The full report sorts the property into three lists. This is where most people get confused, because the second list is often long.
Lead hazards
Lead that is a danger right now, such as peeling lead paint or lead dust above the legal limit. These have to be fixed before you can get a certificate.
Potential hazards
Lead paint that's in good shape today but could become a hazard if it wears, chips or gets disturbed. You don't have to fix these now, but you do need to keep them in good condition.
Excluded components
Things the assessor didn't test because they can't contain old lead paint, such as newer vinyl windows, unpainted wood or covered floors. Nothing to do.
3. How to read the tables
Each row in the hazard tables is one painted part of the house. Here's a made-up example:
| Room | Side (Count) | Component | Long-term control | Temporary control | Paint status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living Room | Side A: 1 | Door | Remove/Replace, Enclose | Paint film stabilization, Treat to minimize friction | Deteriorated |
In plain English: "One door on the front wall of the living room has damaged lead paint. You can replace it or cover it permanently, or, as a shorter-term fix, repair the paint and stop the door from rubbing."
Side A, B, C, D: Assessors label walls this way. Side A is the side facing the street, usually the front. Then go clockwise: B is to the left as you face the house from the street, C is the back, and D is the right. Inside, each room uses the same directions.
Count is how many of that item there are. "Side D: 2" means two of them on the D wall.
Paint status and other terms
- Intact
- The paint is in good condition, with no peeling, chipping or cracking.
- Deteriorated
- The paint is peeling, chipping, cracking or otherwise damaged. Damaged lead paint is a hazard.
- Friction surface
- A painted surface that rubs against something, like a door edge or a window that slides. Rubbing grinds paint into dust.
- Impact surface
- A painted surface that gets hit or kicked, like stair treads, baseboards or door frames.
- Component
- One part of the building: a door, a window sill, a stair railing.
4. Long-term vs. short-term fixes
For each hazard the report gives two kinds of fix. Long-term fixes (abatement) are always the preferred option, but either one is acceptable for getting a certificate. Which to choose comes down to cost and how long you want the fix to last.
| Long-term fix (abatement) | Short-term fix (interim controls) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it means | Gets rid of the lead paint for good, or seals it behind something permanent. | Makes the lead paint safe for now by repairing it and keeping it from wearing down. |
| Examples | Remove/Replace: swap the old door for a new one. Enclose: cover the surface with new material, such as new railing covers. | Paint film stabilization: carefully remove loose paint and repaint. Treat friction: adjust the door so it stops rubbing. Treat impact: cover stair treads so they aren't worn down. |
| How long it lasts | Designed to last at least 20 years. | Has to be checked and kept up over time. |
| Who can do it | Different kinds of certified workers. See Finding workers. | |
Environmental clean shows up for dust hazards. It means a thorough lead-safe cleaning using a special (HEPA) vacuum and wet wiping, not just a regular cleaning.
5. What the numbers mean
Paint (XRF results). If your assessor used an XRF: the assessor tests paint with a handheld scanner called an XRF. Results are in mg/cm². A reading of 1.0 or higher means the paint counts as lead-based paint. A lower reading doesn't mean zero lead. It just means it's under the legal line.
Dust (lab results). The assessor wipes floors and window sills and sends the wipes to a lab. Results are in µg/ft², meaning micrograms of lead per square foot. A result at or above these limits counts as a hazard:
| Surface | Hazard limit |
|---|---|
| Floors | 10 µg/ft² |
| Window sills | 100 µg/ft² |
- "< 4.00" means "less than 4": too little lead for the lab to measure. That's a good result.
- "BLANK" is a clean wipe that never touched a surface. It's a quality check to show the wipes themselves weren't contaminated.
- Example: a front entry floor at 14.20 is over the floor limit of 10, so it's listed as a dust hazard.
Soil. The assessor checks bare soil around the house. If there's a soil hazard, the report will say where and suggest fixes such as covering the bare spots.
6. Pages you can spend less time on
Much of a lead report is there to prove the testing was done correctly. The City and regulators need these pages, but you often don't need to read them in great detail:
- Disclosure statements and disclaimers: standard legal wording. Do note the part about sharing the report with tenants and buyers (see Keeping your report).
- XRF calibration checks and equipment info: proof the scanner was working.
- Lab information, dust wipe data and chain of custody: proof the samples were handled properly.
- Questionnaire, visual assessment forms and licenses: required paperwork.
Worth a look later: the Glossary of Terms, Lead Hazard Reduction Methods and Ongoing Monitoring sections near the end.
7. What to do next
- Decide on long-term or short-term fixes for each hazard.
- Hire the right kind of certified worker. See Finding workers, and check grant programs before you start, since some programs need to approve the work first.
- After the work is done, book a clearance exam with a licensed assessor.
- Once you pass, the clearance report and City application have to be submitted to the City for your Lead Safe Certificate. Check with your assessor whether they'll submit it on your behalf.
8. Keeping your report
- Keep the whole report. Federal law requires you to give a copy to new tenants before they sign a lease, and to buyers before they sign a sales contract. You'll also need to give them the EPA booklet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home.
- Check the lead paint at least once a year, and whenever a tenant moves out or something is damaged (a leak, a fire, a break-in). Fix chipping or peeling paint quickly using lead-safe methods.
- Plan for a re-check. If lead paint remains, the report recommends a professional re-evaluation about every two years.
Reading your clearance report
A clearance exam happens after repairs. A licensed assessor comes back to check that the work was done and that it didn't leave lead dust behind. Clearance reports are much shorter than risk assessments, usually around 30 pages, and only about four of them matter to you.
1. Start with "Findings"
Clearance reports don't have an "At a Glance" page. The result is in the section called Findings, near the middle of the report (around page 14). It's one short paragraph:
2. Description of work performed
This section, around page 8, lists what was fixed: each room or side of the house, the component, and the repair that was done. It also shows the dates of the work and, under Contractor information, who did it and their license number.
Worth checking: put it side by side with the hazard list from your risk assessment. Every hazard should show up here. If something is missing, ask your assessor.
| Area | Component | Remediation |
|---|---|---|
| Bedroom 3 | Window jamb | Paint Film Stabilization |
| Bedroom 1 | Floor | Specialized cleaning |
| Side D | Fascia | Paint Film Stabilization |
Made-up example. "Side D" means the right side of the house as you face it from the street (see Sides A–D).
Check the photos too. The Project Photos near the back show the finished work. They're a quick way to confirm each repair was done and to see what it looks like, and they're good to keep on file.
3. Visual inspection
Before taking any samples, the assessor walks the work areas inside and out and looks for dust, debris or paint chips, and checks that painted surfaces are in good condition. Leftover paint chips or debris can fail a clearance on their own, even before the lab results come back.
4. Dust sampling results
The assessor wipes floors, window sills and window troughs (the channel a window sits in when it's closed) and sends the wipes to a lab. The table shows each sample's location and its result in µg/ft². To pass, every result has to be below these limits:
| Surface | Must be below |
|---|---|
| Floors | 10 µg/ft² |
| Window sills | 100 µg/ft² |
| Window troughs | 100 µg/ft² |
| Exterior living areas, like porches | 40 µg/ft² |
- Just under the table you'll see "Number of samples in which a hazardous level of leaded dust… was detected." You want that to be 0.
- A result of 0.00 or "<" a number means little or no lead was found. That's what you want.
- "BLANK" is a clean wipe used as a quality check. It should also show no lead.
- The longer table of hazard and clearance levels below that is reference information. You don't need to read it closely.
5. Pages you can spend less time on
- The first two pages are the City's Lead Safe Certification application (see What to do next).
- Disclosure statements, disclaimer and conditions: standard legal wording.
- Laboratory information and dust wipe analytical data: proof the lab work was done properly.
- HEA 7730 and HEA 7731 forms: Ohio Department of Health clearance forms the assessor fills out. They repeat what's in the report.
- Site plans and licenses: supporting records.
Worth a read: the Ongoing Monitoring section. It explains what to keep an eye on from here.
6. What to do next
Afterward: keep the clearance report together with your risk assessment. If your repairs were short-term fixes, like paint stabilization, check those areas at least once a year and fix any wear quickly. See Keeping your report.