Employees working in battery manufacturing
plants may potentially be exposed to lead concentrations greater than the OSHA permissible exposure limit.
Battery Manufacturing is the process of producing lead-acid
batteries, commonly used in automobiles, fork
trucks, material handling, and standby power
applications.
Oxide and Grid Production, Plate Processing,
Battery Assembly, Battery Repair and Reclaim,
Environmental Controls, and Maintenance are
operations workers perform in battery manufacturing plants.
Information on potential sources of exposure, Engineering Controls, work
practices, and OSHA Lead Requirements are provided to assist in compliance with the OSHA
Lead Standard.
Respiratory protection and medical surveillance are not
addressed in this eTool. However, they are essential for controlling lead exposure levels and
preventing lead-related disease when engineering and work practice controls, including
administrative controls such as employee rotation, to the extent feasible, do not reduce airborne lead levels below
the permissible exposure limit. Please refer to respiratory
protection and medical
surveillance for more information.
The OSHA Lead Standard requires the employer to reduce employee exposure to the lowest feasible
level through the use of engineering and work practice controls
[1910.1025(e)(1)]. The engineering
and work practice controls addressed in this eTool have been shown to reduce employee exposure and
are provided to assist employers and employees in complying with the OSHA Lead Standard. It is the
employer's responsibility to evaluate the sources of exposure and the specific controls for
operations that are necessary to comply with the Lead Standard. |
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