Asbestos, we know it is dangerous and that it is something we should do our best to stay away from. As discussed in our previous post, “What You Don’t Know About Asbestos”, asbestos was used to do many things, including constructing buildings long before asbestos was regulated. Many of these buildings ended up being school buildings, this is where the LEA DP was born.
So what does LEA DP stand for? LEA - Local Education Agency. DP - Designated Person. To break this down even further, the LEA can be a public or private and primary or secondary school building. The DP is the person who is appointed head of the asbestos program for that LEA.
AHERA regulation, discussed in our last blog post didn’t start until 1986 so asbestos inspections did not begin until 1987. These regulations and inspections were important for school buildings and those inside them especially since children are more vulnerable to toxins. This means it is very important that the they does their job correctly. According to the EPA, the LEA DP is not required to be “accredited” but they must have minimal training.
What does it mean to be “accredited”? Accreditation means that third parties such as a state or federal agency evaluates the training to ensure it meets certain criteria. The EPA says that LEA DP's are not required to have accredited training. However, the asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in schools rule says that there are certain areas for which the LEA DP is required to receive basic knowledge through training. However, the reason why there are no specific hours of training is because there could be a large difference between what the LEA DP needs to know in a small school district versus what they would need to know in a large school district. There is a guide called ‘How to Manage Asbestos in School Buildings: AHERA Designated Person’s Self-study Guide (January 1996) that can help the LEA DP.
While the LEA DP course is not accredited, here at META we deal with accredited courses frequently. We have gotten over 150 classes accredited through multiple states. In fact, META offers classes for over 22 states meaning you are being trained with highly qualified and experience professionals.
Thankfully, META has training for LEA DP’s that they can take both in-person and soon online at their own pace! To get signed-up for the LEA DP course offered from META, call us at 785-842-6382 or email us at info@metaworldwide.com.
Sources: www.epa.gov
