Lead-Safe Wisconsin: Lead Inspector Study Guide
The lead inspector exam includes 75 questions and covers the general topic areas below. Most of the information you need to study for the test will come from the course manual from your initial lead inspector course.
In addition, you can use the specific knowledge areas listed under each topic below to help guide you as you study.
Note: The exam also includes questions about applicable OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) lead in construction regulations.
Learn more about the lead certification exams
- Reasons for inspection requests
- Roles and responsibilities of an inspector
- The difference between an inspection and a risk assessment
- Basic building and construction terminology
- General contract terms and requirements
- Types of inspector/company insurance
- Liability issues involved in lead inspections
- Factors in scheduling an inspection
- Adult health effects from lead exposure
- Childhood health effects from lead exposure
- Factors that affect the absorption of lead
- Places where lead can be found inside the home besides paint
- Places where lead can be found outside the home besides paint
- Sources of lead in drinking water
- History and uses of lead
- Basic concepts and information relevant to lead
- The goals of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) guidelines for lead inspection
- The importance of state and local requirements for a lead inspection
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s and HUD’s notification and disclosure regulations
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended steps for reducing lead in drinking water
- OSHA regulations that apply to lead
- Respirators that inspectors may use
- Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) inspectors may use
- OSHA safety regulations other than respirators
- RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) regulations that apply to lead
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 certification requirements
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 abatement definition
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 lead-based paint definition
- The notification requirements for Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 lead abatement or other lead hazard reduction activities
- The Wisconsin regulations that cover lead training and certification
- Wis. Admin. Code. ch. DHS 163 interim control activity definition
- The state agency that regulates solid waste storage, transportation, and disposal
- Which certified personnel Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 authorizes to perform clearance
- The certified staff Wis. Admin. Code ch. DHS 163 requires to be at the lead abatement site at all times
- Who owns the certification card
- The certified staff who can conduct lead inspections, write inspection reports, and conduct clearance after a lead hazard reduction activity
- The certified staff who can conduct lead risk assessments, write risk assessment reports, conduct clearance, conduct lead hazard screens, and provide options to reduce specific lead hazards
- The certified staff who can oversee or perform onsite lead abatement and grant-funded lead hazard reduction activities, develop occupant protection plans, and write abatement reports
- How to outline the current information needed about a property (building age, size, use, residents, ownership)
- Historical information needed about a property (painting, additions, renovations, remodeling, prior sampling, inspection results)
- Additional information to request (blueprints, number of units, designated common areas, addresses of units)
- Ability to read blueprints
- Ability to identify common construction history among buildings
- How to calculate the number of units to inspect using HUD tables
- How to select random units for inspection using HUD sampling protocols (general principles)
- How to select random units for inspection using HUD sampling protocols (random numbers)
- How to prepare an inventory of all painted surfaces
- How to select paint sample locations in a single-family home
- How to select paint sample locations in multi-family housing
- How to determine the number of components to test in multi-family housing
- When to assess the condition of paint
- Sampling techniques: XRF versus paint chip
- XRF analyzer shipping and transportation considerations
- How an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer works
- The difference between direct reading and spectrum XRF analyzers
- Inspector safety issues concerning XRF use
- How to care for an XRF analyzer battery pack
- How the age of the XRF analyzer source affects its use
- How to check the calibration of an XRF analyzer
- All equipment needed for sampling
- The use of a dosimeter
- Occupant safety issues concerning XRF use
- How to take XRF readings
- Information found on a performance characteristics sheet (PCS)
- How to use a performance characteristics sheet (PCS)
- When an XRF substrate correction is required
- How to perform substrate corrections
- How to interpret XRF readings (positive)
- How to interpret XRF readings (inconclusive)
- How to interpret XRF readings (negative)
- Why values for POS, NEG, and INCONCLUSIVE vary among XRF analyzers
- How to download data from an XRF
- How to use HUD decision guidelines for paint chip sampling in multi-family housing
- How to use HUD decision guidelines for paint chip sampling in single-family homes
- The collection of paint chip samples to measure lead in parts per million (PPM)
- The collection of paint chip samples to measure lead in milligrams per square centimeter
- The use of lab forms
- How to ship paint chip samples to a lab
- Proper analyses for lead in paint chips
- How to interpret lab results
- Spot-test kits for lead determination work
- Dust sampling for conducting clearance
- Optional soil sampling for conducting clearance
- How to calculate the surface area wiped from dimensions wiped
- How to calculate the wipe sample results in µg/ft2 (complex)
- How to calculate the wipe sample results in µg/ft2 (simple)
- How to determine when and if dust wipe or soil samples should be composited
- What to look for during visual inspections of abatement projects
- What to look for during visual inspections of soil/interim control projects
- When to conduct clearance sampling
- How to perform a final visual inspection of the abatement site
- Why pre-abatement wipe and soil samples are collected
- Why dust samples are collected for clearance
- How to select the location of wipe samples for clearance purposes
- The wipe sampling clearance standards
- How to select the number of wipe samples for clearance purposes
- How to perform wipe sampling for clearance purposes
- What to do when a clearance wipe test fails
- How to select the number of soil samples for clearance purposes
- How to select the location of soil samples for clearance purposes
- How to perform soil sampling for clearance purposes
- The levels of concern for clearance soil samples
- Elements of good field documentation (sketches)
- Elements of good field documentation (sample identification)
- Elements of an inspection report
- How to clearly indicate lead-based paint versus non-lead-based paint in report
- All field inspection forms
- Information asked for on HUD inspection forms (single-family homes)
- Information asked for on HUD inspection forms (multi-family housing)
- The use of chain of custody forms
- The labeling and numbering of paint chip samples