Maintenance personnel are at risk of exposure to lead fumes and dust during maintenance
operations involving equipment that is contaminated with lead.
Appropriate PPE should be provided and work
practices should be followed when performing
maintenance on this equipment. There are recommended engineering and work practice
controls to minimize employee exposure in the
following situations:
|
| Maintaining or Moving
Contaminated Equipment |
Potential Source of
Exposure
- Maintenance shop personnel may be exposed to lead dust when servicing and handling equipment
that is contaminated with lead.
Possible Engineering and Work Practice
Controls
- Decontaminate equipment prior to servicing by vacuum, water spray, or mechanical removal such
as scraping or brushing in conjunction with local exhaust
ventilation.
|
|
| Working
in Shops |
Potential Source of Exposure
- Exposure to lead may occur when working on contaminated equipment in the maintenance shop. (Figure
1)
Possible Engineering and Work Practice
Controls
|
|
| Preventive
Maintenance Program |
A
well-designed system and a
continuing preventive
maintenance program are key in
preventing and controlling ventilation system
problems.
Elements
of a Good Maintenance Program
- Establish a safe place
to file drawings,
specifications, fan
curves, operating
instructions, and other
papers generated during
design, construction, and
testing.
- Establish a program of
periodic inspection.
- The
types and frequencies of
inspections depend on the
operation of the system
and other factors.
- Daily: Visually
inspect hoods,
ductwork, access and
clean-out doors, blast
gate positions, hood
static pressure,
pressure drop across
air cleaner, and
verbally communicate with
users ("How is
the system performing
today?").
- Weekly: Check
air cleaner
capacity, fan housing,
pulley belts.
- Monthly: Check
air cleaner
components.
- See Example
Checklist.
A quick way to check
for settled material in a
duct is to take a
broomstick and tap the
underside of all the horizontal ducts. If the
tapping produces a
"clean" sheet
metal sound, the duct is
clear. If the tapping
produces heavy, thudding
sounds, there may be settled dust
in the duct.
- Establish a preventive
maintenance program.
- Certain elements of any
ventilation system should
be checked on a regular
schedule and replaced if
found to be defective.
- See Example
Checklist.
-
OSHA Technical Manual:
Ventilation
Investigation.
OSHA (1992), 26
pages. This manual
describes the use of
supply and exhaust
ventilation to control
emissions, exposures,
and chemical hazards
in the workplace.
- Provide worker training.
- Workers need to be trained
about the purpose and
functions of the
ventilation system. For
example, they need to know
how to work safely and how
to best use the
ventilation system.
Exhaust hoods do little
good if the welder does
not know that the hood
must be positioned close
to the work.
- Keep written records.
- Maintain written
documentation, not only of
original installations but
also of all modifications
as well as problems and
resolutions.
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