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For information related to construction, see OSHA's Lead - Construction page.

Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, often referred to as the General Duty Clause, requires employers to "furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees". Section 5(a)(2) requires employers to "comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act".

Note: Twenty-four states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

• 1910 Subpart I, Personal protective equipment [related topic page]
  • 1910.134, Respiratory protection [related topic page]
• 1910 Subpart Z, Toxic and hazardous substances [related topic page]
  • 1910.1020, Access to employee exposure and medical records
  • 1910.1025, Lead
    • Appendix A, Substance data sheet for occupational exposure to lead
    • Appendix B, Employee standard summary
    • Appendix C, Medical surveillance guidelines [related topic page]

Shipyard Employment (29 CFR 1915)

• 1915 Subpart Z, Toxic and hazardous substances
  • 1915.1025, Lead. Requirements applicable to shipyard employment under this section are identical to those set forth in 29 CFR 1910.1025.

• May 7, 1997 - The stay on 29 CFR 1910.1025(e)(1) was lifted, and six years later (May 2003) all employers had to be in compliance with all the requirements of the standard.
• Jun 29, 1981 - The Supreme Court denied the petition and dissolved its 1980 stay, leaving the partial stay 29 CFR 1910.1025(e)(1) used by the Appeals Court on August 15. This meant that all the other provisions of this standard had been in effect.
• August 15, 1980 - The Court of Appeals issued its decision upholding the standard, lifting the stay except for 29 CFR 1910.1025(e)(1) as it applied to certain industries.
• December 8, 1980 - Pending the filing and disposition of industry's petitions for a review, the US Supreme Court issued a stay of the same provisions that were issued in March 1979 by the US Court of Appeals.
• March 1, 1979 - The Court of Appeals stayed a number of the provisions including the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1025(i) for the consideration of new facilities and renovation of existing facilities, pending a full review.
• November 14, 1978 - The standard was promulgated and immediately challenged by both industry and labor. All changes were consolidated in the US Court of Appeals.

• Lead (1978)
• Search all available preambles to final rules.

• Lead in General Industry Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements. Notice 70:62000-62001, (2005, October 27).
• Search all available Federal Registers.

• Brass and Bronze Ingot Manufacturing Industry Compliance Requirements and Dates Under the Lead Standard (29 CFR 1910.1025). CPL 02-02-067 [CPL 2-2.67], (1997, February 27).
• Search all available directives.

• Enforcement of the engineering and work practice control provisions of the lead standard, 1910.1025(e)(1). (2004, May 11).
• Acceptability of rhodizonate-based spot test kits for determining the presence or absence of lead in paint coatings. (2003, July 18).
• Employee safety and the laundering of contaminated clothing. (1997, April 1).
• OSHA Lead Standards, both General Industry and Construction. (1997, March 18). Indicates inspectors moving from site to site is characteristic of construction, so the general industry standard for lead does not apply to lead inspectors and risk assessors who are not at a fixed location.
• The biological monitoring requirements under the Final Rule for Lead. (1996, March 4).
• Sampling for lead welding fumes. (1995, March 22).
• Lead Standard medical removal requirements and blood lead level testing. (1990, December 12).
• Search all available standard interpretations.