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Lead-Safe Wisconsin: Lead Supervisor Study Guide

The lead supervisor exam includes 100 questions and covers the general topic areas below. Most of the information you need to study for the test will come from the course manuals from your initial lead courses (lead-safe renovator, worker, and supervisor.

In addition, you can use the specific knowledge areas listed under each topic below to help guide you as you study.

Learn more about the lead certification exams

  • Examples of lead-based paint hazards and other common lead sources in homes
  • Places where lead hazards typically exist in homes

  • How children are typically exposed to lead and the health effects of lead
  • Common routes of worker lead exposure
  • Health effects of lead on workers

  • RCRA (Residential Conservation and Recovery Act) (40 CFR 262) regulations and related information about waste disposal for lead-abatement projects
  • RCRA (Residential Conservation and Recovery Act) definitions of hazardous waste and testing procedures
  • “Competent person for health and safety” as defined by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (29 CFR 1926.62) and OSHA Respiratory Protection Standards (29 CFR 1910.134) for lead-abatement work
  • OSHA general industry standards (29 CFR 1910) relevant to lead abatement work
  • General requirements by the OSHA lead in construction standards (29 CFR 1926.62)
  • Exposure monitoring and writing compliance plan requirements in the OSHA lead in construction standards (29 CFR 1926.62)
  • OSHA hazard communication standards (29 CFR 1926.59) for lead abatement work
  • OSHA action level and permissible exposure level for lead
  • Units of measurement used to express lead levels in air, soil, and dust
  • The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) post-abatement clearance standards for lead in dust
  • Purpose and focus of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines
  • Importance of checking that all worker certifications are up to date
  • Wisconsin Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 certification requirements
  • Wisconsin Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 abatement definition
  • Wisconsin Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 lead-based paint definition
  • Wisconsin Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 lead-abatement activities notification requirements
  • The state regulation that covers lead training and certification
  • Wisconsin Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 interim control activity definition
  • Differences between lead abatement and lead-safe renovation activities
  • The state agency that regulates solid waste storage, transportation, and disposal
  • Which certified staff is required by Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 to always be present at the abatement site
  • Who owns the certification card
  • OSHA and other requirements for lead-abatement worker training
  • Which certified staff may conduct lead inspections and clearances
  • Which certified staff may conduct lead inspections, risk assessments, clearances, lead hazard screens, and provide options to reduce specific lead hazards
  • Which certified staff may oversee or perform onsite lead abatement and grand-funded lead hazard reduction activities, develop occupant protection plans, and write abatement reports

  • Types of respirators and cartridges needed for lead-abatement jobs on houses, as well as protection (fit) factors
  • Types of PPE needed during an abatement project, other than respirators
  • How to care for and properly store respirators
  • Worker respiratory fit checks and tests
  • Conditions that may affect worker respiratory fit tests
  • Conditions when PPE clothes and equipment (other than respirators) are needed

  • Recommended chemical paint removal methods
  • Recommended onsite mechanical paint removal methods
  • Recommended component enclosure, encapsulation, and removal methods
  • Materials and methods for encapsulation
  • Materials and methods for enclosure
  • Methods to abate and control lead in exterior dust
  • Methods to abate and control lead in soil
  • Reasons for prohibiting open-torch burning or heat guns that are operated above 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit 
  • Examples of restricted and prohibited paint abatement methods
  • Building containments for exterior abatement work
  • Building containments for interior abatement work
  • Correct locations of lead warning signs
  • Correct wording of lead warning signs to establish regulated areas
  • Locations, methods, and proper order used for final cleaning
  • Painting and sealing of abated surfaces
  • Requirements and techniques for performing daily cleaning of all work areas and worker walkways
  • Examples of techniques and equipment used to abate interior dust
  • Interior dust abatement strategies for rooms and entire homes
  • Limitations of abating lead dust from severely contaminated carpets
  • Packaging and labeling of hazardous waste
  • Reasons encapsulation may not work
  • Dust sampling techniques and strategies for clearance sampling used by certified lead investigators

  • Basic building and architectural components
  • Window troughs (wells) and interior windowsills (stools)

  • Fire and electrical hazards and prevention methods
  • Slip, trip, and fall hazards and prevention methods
  • Heat-related health hazards and prevention methods
  • How to document worker baseline blood-lead levels
  • How to calibrate personal air-sampling pumps before use
  • Personal air-sampling requirement to assess worker lead exposures
  • Examples of air-sampling strategies
  • Potential health hazards from chemicals used on the job and prevention methods
  • Safety data sheets (SDS) needed at the worksite
  • Ways to prevent workers from taking lead dust home
  • Importance of shutting down and sealing the healing, ventilation, and air conditioning system
  • Why copies of the health and safety program must be present at the worksite
  • Decontamination procedures to discuss with workers during routine health and safety meetings
  • General work practice issues to discuss with workers during routine health and safety meetings
  • Importance of routinely checking that containment is secure
  • Determining the need for mechanical ventilation of the containment area
  • General issues and responsibilities for worker health and safety
  • Why and when work areas must be isolated from residents
  • Why a site-specific health and safety program should be developed
  • Importance of identifying workers who need to be medically monitored
  • How frequently to medically monitor workers
  • When and how exposure monitoring results must be provided to workers
  • Medical monitoring limits
  • Equipment used to reduce worker lead exposure
  • Abatement methods that help reduce worker lead exposure
  • Proper areas for storing abatement waste material

  • Importance of reviewing the scope of work
  • Observations that should be made during the initial walk-through of an abatement project or other worksite
  • How to determine the security level needed at an abatement site
  • Leadership skills needed by a project supervisor, including decision-making, motivating workers to perform the job safely and to cooperate
  • Supervisor responsibilities for assigning tasks and orienting crew members
  • Supervisor skills, including identifying effective workers, monitoring work progress, and identifying and correcting unsafe practices
  • Non-abatement tasks to assign crew members
  • Community relations plans
  • Types of contract specifications
  • Record-keeping practices and records requirements for abatement projects
  • Contents of an abatement report required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s TSCA 402/404 regulations
  • How to interpret lead inspection and risk assessment reports
  • How to read blueprints
  • Supervisor responsibilities for determining and obtaining equipment and supplies
  • How to create and maintain a project budget
  • Roles and responsibilities of all abatement project participants

  • Importance of a “third party” certified lead investigator verifying that painted surfaces were abated per the scope of work
  • Importance of a “third party” certified lead investigator performing the final visual inspection and clearance dust sampling
  • Liability issues involved with lead abatement and renovation work
  • Types of insurance and bonding that apply to lead abatement and renovation work
Last revised December 29, 2022