EPA RISK ASSESSOR EXAM SCRIPT 2025/2026 QUESTIONS
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Contract Law - ✔✔Relates to situations in which a person breaks or "breaches" a
legally enforceable written or oral agreement or contract. Court can order remedies like
monetary damages.
✔✔Name 2 examples of liability under Tort Law: - ✔✔Negligence
Vicarious Liability
✔✔Negligence - ✔✔Failure to fulfill all of your duties/ failure to exercise the standard of
care to which a reasonable Risk Assessor or contractor would adhere.
✔✔Vicarious Liability - ✔✔Employer is legally responsible for the acts, ommissions and
wrongful behavior (torts) of his/her employees.
Plaintiff needs to prove 4 elements:
1. Act or omission
2. Duty
3. Cause
4. Injury
✔✔Indemnification - ✔✔2-27
✔✔What are at least 4 principles risk assessors should follow to avoid legal liability
under tort law? - ✔✔2-26 E.g. document everything, never say anything is "lead free",
say that a risk assessment only applies to the present status of the property, keep
records
✔✔Describe at least four important objectives of the initial property owner contact prior
to conducting risk assessment? - ✔✔3-18
✔✔What are the 5 different evaluation options that can be recommended to the
property owner? - ✔✔Combination risk assessment/ inspection
Risk assessment
Paint inspection
lead hazard Screen
Investigation for EBL
✔✔What are 6 different motivating factors that affect what type of evaluation option to
choose? - ✔✔3-18 E.g. legal requirement, liability issues, preventative measures,
response to a lead poisoning case
,✔✔What's the difference between a risk assessment and an EBL child investigation? -
✔✔3-8, 3-9
✔✔T/F: The risk assessor should be involved in the process of selecting a contractor. -
✔✔False
✔✔How long does visual assessment and sampling take? - ✔✔45 minutes - 3 hours
✔✔T/F: Risk assessors should always go ahead and educate the tenants about lead
poisoning. - ✔✔False
✔✔What are the benefits of preliminary data collection to assist risk assessment? -
✔✔3-13
✔✔Scenario: You arrive on premises and are scheduled to conduct a visual
assessment of the property. Which do you take note of?
1. There are big cracks in the walls.
2. Ceiling is leaking in the bathroom and the kitchen.
3. The window wells are in disrepair- and contain paint chips.
4. Right across the street there's a battery recycling shop. - ✔✔All of the above
✔✔What are the 3 categories of paint film quality? - ✔✔Intact
Fair
Poor
4-8
✔✔T/F: Interior wall has >3 ft2 of deteriorated paint. This is classified as fair condition. -
✔✔False. (>2 ft2 is poor)
✔✔T/F: 8% of a window sill in the living room is deteriorated. This is classified as poor
condition. - ✔✔False. (>10% is poor)
✔✔T/F: <8 ft2 of an exterior wall is deteriorated. This is classified as intact. - ✔✔False.
(<10 ft^2 is fair)
✔✔What are the 5 categories of paint deterioration? - ✔✔4-9, 4-10
Surface-coat failure
Multi-coat failure
Paint failure revealing unsound substrate or structure
Paint abrasion
Chipped paint
, ✔✔What side of the house is more likely to have damage due to moisture? - ✔✔North
side
✔✔T/F: Bare soil constitutes a lead based paint hazard. - ✔✔True
✔✔What are some exterior components that a risk assessor should inspect? - ✔✔4-12
Roof, gutters, downspouts, windows, porches, masonry, fences and garages
✔✔You are conducting a visual inspection, and notice that the basement has a drop
ceiling. What do you do? - ✔✔In a few rooms, lift a ceiling panel to assess the condition
of the ceiling.
✔✔Window Components:
What is a weep hole?
A plinth block?
What is a parting bead? - ✔✔4-18
✔✔Door components:
What's a hinge pin?
What's a strike? - ✔✔4-19
✔✔Wall/trim components:
What's a soffit? - ✔✔A horizontal chase on top of a wall.
4-20
✔✔Stair components:
What's a ballustrade?
What's a newel post?
What are risers and treads? - ✔✔4-21
✔✔Describe ineffective flashing. - ✔✔4-25
✔✔What is the purpose of a slash block? - ✔✔4-24
To redirect runoff from a downspout that's too near a foundation.
✔✔What are three conditions that contribute to moisture damage in a bathroom? -
✔✔Shower steam
Lack of caulk around a tub
Defective plumbing
4-28
✔✔Lead Based Paint Poisoning Act (1971)
WITH SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Contract Law - ✔✔Relates to situations in which a person breaks or "breaches" a
legally enforceable written or oral agreement or contract. Court can order remedies like
monetary damages.
✔✔Name 2 examples of liability under Tort Law: - ✔✔Negligence
Vicarious Liability
✔✔Negligence - ✔✔Failure to fulfill all of your duties/ failure to exercise the standard of
care to which a reasonable Risk Assessor or contractor would adhere.
✔✔Vicarious Liability - ✔✔Employer is legally responsible for the acts, ommissions and
wrongful behavior (torts) of his/her employees.
Plaintiff needs to prove 4 elements:
1. Act or omission
2. Duty
3. Cause
4. Injury
✔✔Indemnification - ✔✔2-27
✔✔What are at least 4 principles risk assessors should follow to avoid legal liability
under tort law? - ✔✔2-26 E.g. document everything, never say anything is "lead free",
say that a risk assessment only applies to the present status of the property, keep
records
✔✔Describe at least four important objectives of the initial property owner contact prior
to conducting risk assessment? - ✔✔3-18
✔✔What are the 5 different evaluation options that can be recommended to the
property owner? - ✔✔Combination risk assessment/ inspection
Risk assessment
Paint inspection
lead hazard Screen
Investigation for EBL
✔✔What are 6 different motivating factors that affect what type of evaluation option to
choose? - ✔✔3-18 E.g. legal requirement, liability issues, preventative measures,
response to a lead poisoning case
,✔✔What's the difference between a risk assessment and an EBL child investigation? -
✔✔3-8, 3-9
✔✔T/F: The risk assessor should be involved in the process of selecting a contractor. -
✔✔False
✔✔How long does visual assessment and sampling take? - ✔✔45 minutes - 3 hours
✔✔T/F: Risk assessors should always go ahead and educate the tenants about lead
poisoning. - ✔✔False
✔✔What are the benefits of preliminary data collection to assist risk assessment? -
✔✔3-13
✔✔Scenario: You arrive on premises and are scheduled to conduct a visual
assessment of the property. Which do you take note of?
1. There are big cracks in the walls.
2. Ceiling is leaking in the bathroom and the kitchen.
3. The window wells are in disrepair- and contain paint chips.
4. Right across the street there's a battery recycling shop. - ✔✔All of the above
✔✔What are the 3 categories of paint film quality? - ✔✔Intact
Fair
Poor
4-8
✔✔T/F: Interior wall has >3 ft2 of deteriorated paint. This is classified as fair condition. -
✔✔False. (>2 ft2 is poor)
✔✔T/F: 8% of a window sill in the living room is deteriorated. This is classified as poor
condition. - ✔✔False. (>10% is poor)
✔✔T/F: <8 ft2 of an exterior wall is deteriorated. This is classified as intact. - ✔✔False.
(<10 ft^2 is fair)
✔✔What are the 5 categories of paint deterioration? - ✔✔4-9, 4-10
Surface-coat failure
Multi-coat failure
Paint failure revealing unsound substrate or structure
Paint abrasion
Chipped paint
, ✔✔What side of the house is more likely to have damage due to moisture? - ✔✔North
side
✔✔T/F: Bare soil constitutes a lead based paint hazard. - ✔✔True
✔✔What are some exterior components that a risk assessor should inspect? - ✔✔4-12
Roof, gutters, downspouts, windows, porches, masonry, fences and garages
✔✔You are conducting a visual inspection, and notice that the basement has a drop
ceiling. What do you do? - ✔✔In a few rooms, lift a ceiling panel to assess the condition
of the ceiling.
✔✔Window Components:
What is a weep hole?
A plinth block?
What is a parting bead? - ✔✔4-18
✔✔Door components:
What's a hinge pin?
What's a strike? - ✔✔4-19
✔✔Wall/trim components:
What's a soffit? - ✔✔A horizontal chase on top of a wall.
4-20
✔✔Stair components:
What's a ballustrade?
What's a newel post?
What are risers and treads? - ✔✔4-21
✔✔Describe ineffective flashing. - ✔✔4-25
✔✔What is the purpose of a slash block? - ✔✔4-24
To redirect runoff from a downspout that's too near a foundation.
✔✔What are three conditions that contribute to moisture damage in a bathroom? -
✔✔Shower steam
Lack of caulk around a tub
Defective plumbing
4-28
✔✔Lead Based Paint Poisoning Act (1971)
