RRP containment and cleanup checklist for crews

Before you start: signs

Section 745.85(a)(1) says to post signs that mark the work area and warn people to stay out. Put them up before work starts. Keep them in place and readable until the work and cleaning verification are both done. Where practicable, the signs must be in the occupants' primary language.

• Signs at each entrance to the work area.
• In the occupants' primary language, where practicable.
• Up before work starts, down only after cleaning verification.

Interior containment

Section 745.85(a)(2)(i) lists the steps for inside work. The goal is that no dust or debris leaves the work area. Keep the plastic intact during the job, and make sure the containment does not block an emergency exit.

• Remove furniture, rugs, and window coverings, or cover them with plastic taped at all seams and edges.
• Close and cover all duct openings in the work area with taped-down plastic.
• Close windows and doors in the work area. Cover doors with plastic.
• Cover the entry door with plastic that lets workers pass but keeps dust in.
• Cover the floor, including carpet, with taped-down plastic at least 6 feet beyond the work, or farther if needed to contain the dust.
• Clean dust off people, tools, and the outside of waste bags before they leave the area.

Exterior containment

Section 745.85(a)(2)(ii) lists the steps for outside work. On a building with more than one floor, close doors and windows within 20 feet on the same floor and on all floors below.

If the work is within 10 feet of the property line, you must put up vertical containment or take equal extra steps, so dust does not reach the neighbor's property.

• Close all doors and windows within 20 feet of the work.
• Cover doors in the work area that the crew will use, so workers can pass but dust stays in.
• Cover the ground with plastic at least 10 feet beyond the work, or farther if needed to catch debris.
• Within 10 feet of the property line: vertical containment or equal extra steps.

Never do these

Section 745.85(a)(3) bans or limits three practices on painted surfaces. Using any of them also cancels the minor repair exception. See our guide to whether the rule applies.

• No open-flame burning or torching.
• No high-speed sanding, grinding, power planing, needle gun, or blasting, unless the tool has a shroud and a HEPA vacuum attachment.
• No heat gun at 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit or more.

Waste

Section 745.85(a)(4) says to contain waste before it leaves the work area. Cover any chute. At the end of each day and at the end of the job, store waste under containment, in an enclosure, or behind a barrier. When you haul it, keep it contained so no dust or debris escapes.

Cleanup

Section 745.85(a)(5) says to clean until no dust, debris, or residue remains. Collect all chips and debris without spreading them, and seal them in a heavy-duty bag. Mist the plastic before you fold it, fold the dirty side in, and seal it. Plastic that separates rooms stays up until the rest is cleaned.

Inside, clean the work area and 2 feet around it, from high to low. Clean the walls, vacuum all surfaces with a HEPA vacuum, wipe them with a damp cloth, and mop or wet-clean the floors. Then the certified renovator does cleaning verification. Our cleaning verification guide explains that step.

Record it

Section 745.86(b)(6) says the certified renovator must certify that signs were posted, the work area was contained, waste was handled, and the area was cleaned. Take photos of each step: signs, floor and duct covers, exterior ground plastic, bagged waste, and the clean area. Add them to the job file the same day. Our recordkeeping requirements guide lists the full record.