Tag: Lead Standards

EPA Proposes Stronger Lead Paint Standards

In July 2023, the EPA proposed stronger requirements for the removal of lead-based paint (LBP) hazards in pre-1978 buildings and childcare facilities. Although LBP was banned for residential use by the federal government in 1978, it’s estimated that more than 31 million pre-1978 houses still contain LBP and more than 3 million of them have […]

OSHA Weighing Revisions to Lead Standards

On June 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on revisions to the agency’s construction and general industry lead standards (87 Federal Register (FR) 38343). OSHA is considering changes to the standards’ criteria for worker medical removal, as well as action levels (Als) and permissible exposure […]

Lead Exposure

OSHA’s 40-Year-Old Lead Standard Is Far Short of Protective

Worker safety advocates, scientists, and some state OSHA authorities have been contending for years that OSHA’s permissible exposure levels (PELs) for lead in the workplace are inadequate to protect workers from the multiple adverse health effects associated with the metal.

Protecting Workers from Lead Exposure Would Have Saved This Employer from Additional Citations

At a municipal storage facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, a painting contractor was conducting abrasive blasting to remove paint from water tanks. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection showed that the workers were overexposed to airborne lead—and to other airborne contaminants as well. If the employer had paid attention to its lead compliance, it […]

These Workers Were Overexposed to Lead … By Any Standard

At a municipal storage facility in Danville, Pennsylvania, a painting contractor was conducting abrasive blasting to remove paint from water tanks. An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection showed that the workers were overexposed to airborne lead. As a result, OSHA issued several serious and willful violations against the employer for violations of the […]