U.S. Department of Labor
Program Highlights

Lead has been poisoning workers for thousands of years. In the construction industry, traditionally most over-exposures to lead have been found in the trades, such as plumbing, welding and painting.

In building construction, lead is frequently used for roofs, cornices, tank linings, and electrical conduits. In plumbing, soft solder, used chiefly for soldering tinplate and copper pipe joints, is an alloy of lead and tin. Soft solder, in fact, has been banned for many uses in the United States. The use of lead- based paint in residential application has also been banned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. However, since lead- based paint inhibits the rusting and corrosion of iron and steel, it is still used on bridges, railways, ships, lighthouses, and other steel structures, although substitute coatings are available.

Significant lead exposures can also arise from removing paint from surfaces previously coated with lead-based paint, such as in bridge repair, residential renovation, and demolition. With the increase in highway work, including bridge repair, residential lead abatement, and residential remodeling, the potential for exposure to lead-based paint has become more common. The trades potentially exposed to lead include iron work, demolition work, painting, lead-based paint abatement work, plumbing, heating/air- conditioning, electrical work, and carpentry/renovation/remodeling.

Operations that generate lead dust and fume include the following:

* Flame-torch cutting, welding, the use of heat guns, sanding, scraping and grinding of lead painted surfaces in repair, reconstruction, dismantling, and demolition work;

* Abrasive blasting of bridges and other structures containing lead-based paints;

* Use of torches and heat guns, and sanding, scraping, and grinding lead-based paint surfaces during remodeling or abating lead-based paint; and

* Maintaining process equipment or exhaust duct work.

The employer of construction workers is responsible for the development and implementation of a worker protection program in accordance with 29 CFR 1926.20 and 29 CFR 1926.62(e). This program is essential in minimizing worker risk of lead exposure. Construction projects vary in their scope and potential for exposing workers to lead and other hazards. Many projects may involve limited exposure, such as the removal of paint from a few interior residential doors. Others may involve the removal, or stripping off, of substantial quantities of lead-based paints on large bridges. The employer should, as needed, consult a qualified safety and health professional(*) to develop and implement an effective worker protection program.

The most effective way to protect workers is to minimize exposure through the use of engineering controls and good work practices. It is OSHA policy that respirators are not to be used in lieu of engineering and work practices to reduce employee exposures to below the PEL. Respirators can only be used in combination with engineering controls and work practices to control employee exposures.

OSHA's new interim final standard for lead in construction limits worker exposures to 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air averaged over an eight-hour workday.

At the minimum, the following elements should be included in the employer's worker protection program for employees exposed to lead:

* Hazard determination, including exposure assessment;

* Engineering and work practice controls;

* Respiratory protection;

* Protective clothing and equipment;

* Housekeeping;

* Hygiene facilities and practices;

* Medical surveillance and provisions for medical removal;

* Training;

* Signs; and

* Recordkeeping.

To implement the worker protection program properly, the employer needs to designate a competent person, i.e., one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards or working conditions which are hazardous or dangerous to employees, in accordance with the general safety and health provisions of OSHA's construction standards. The competent person must have the authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate such problems. Qualified medical personnel must be available to advise the employer and employees on the health effects of employee lead exposure and supervise the medical surveillance program.

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FOOTNOTE(*) Source for professional safety and health advice include insurance carriers, trade organizations, state 7(c)(1) on-site consultation programs, and consultants.

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This is one of a series of fact sheets highlighting U.S. Department of Labor programs. It is intended as a general description only and does not carry the force of legal opinion. This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 219-8151. TDD message referral phone: 1-800-326-2577.