Meet NYCHA’s Lead Oversight Team
The Lead Oversight Team (LOT) in NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety Department is committed to identifying and correcting any non-compliance with lead-based paint requirements across the Authority. The team also develops strategies to prevent lead issues from reoccurring.
As part of its work, the LOT conducts oversight inspections of:
• renovation, repair, and painting jobs;
• lead abatement (removal) work;
• dust wipe clearances (which are used to make sure no lead dust remains after work is performed);
• and visual assessments performed by NYCHA personnel and vendors that check for issues with known or suspected lead-based paint.
The LOT’s mission is to ensure that these activities are done safely, and in compliance with all lead-based paint federal and local regulations as well as NYCHA’s Lead-Safe Housing standard procedures. By directly observing work that’s in progress, the LOT can provide immediate guidance to staff and vendors and ensure that any safety or regulatory violations are addressed and brought into compliance. The LOT also inspects development storerooms to verify that they are equipped with the necessary renovation, repair, and painting supplies, and the team visits management offices to ensure that lead disclosure folders are properly maintained. The team also investigates any lead-based paint complaints that are submitted to https://on.nyc.gov/submit-concern.
The team consists of six U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified Risk Assessors who are led by a Team Administrator. They have a combined experience of 80 years performing lead-based paint inspections and other environmental health and safety work. The Team’s Administrator, Vincent Eweka, said: “I’m fortunate to lead a team of knowledgeable and passionate professionals who are dedicated to the critical task of preventing resident and employee exposure to lead-based paint. We collaborate and communicate with development staff and residents to provide the best quality of service. As a team, the greatest reward is to witness the completion of work, the result being that the resident is now living in a safer and cleaner environment.”
For more information about lead, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/getleadsafe
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/healthy_homes/healthyhomes/lead
Photo caption: A Lead Oversight Specialist performing lead oversight inspections.