Worker Lead Poisoning During Renovation of a Historic Hotel Reveals Limitations of the OSHA Lead in Construction Standard

Details

• Personal Author:
  DePersis R ; Franko E ; Pavelchak N ; Zhu J
• Description:
  It is important for building owners, project managers, and contractors to have a basic understanding of the nature of lead paint hazards and the applicable federal, state, and local regulations so they can implement proper protective measures to ensure the safety of both building occupants and workers. Manual sanding, a widely used paint removal method, may generate airborne lead dust exceeding 10 times the OSHA PEL and the maximum protection range of a half-face APR, the OSHA-required interim respiratory protection. If a building to be renovated was constructed before 1978, employers must implement a lead safety program following the OSHA Lead in Construction Standard. The decision on worker respiratory protection should be based on personal air monitoring results. To ensure that workers are adequately protected in the interim, employers should avoid paint removal methods that generate high dust, such as manual sanding, and use techniques with low exposure potential (e.g., encapsulation). Engineering controls that use wet methods in conjunction with HEPA vacuuming or mechanical ventilation, and shrouded power tools with HEPA vacuum attachments, should be implemented. Contractors may consider upgrading worker respiratory protection to a full-face APR in the interim if dry sanding cannot be avoided. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Construction Industry Dust Lead Occupational Health Respiratory Protective Devices Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Airborne Dusts Construction Workers Lead-based Paint Lead Dust Occupational Safety And Health Administration OSHA Power Tools Respirators Respiratory Protection
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  9
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058743
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2012 Sep; 9(9):D167-D171
• Contact Point Address:
  Julia Zhu, Bureau of Occupational Health, CEH, NYSDOH, 547 River Street, Room 230, Troy, NY, 12180-2216
• Email:
  npx02@health.state.ny.us
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  New York State Department of Health/Health Research Incorporated
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6f57dc54d5094ac3199a96d5c1bbc17274f1c9b674c05ef4a171bb90fbc25f64b848daddb538318d9dc17984fa7eb38f8532bbd2dd1e11f9a0ad741531e1cb07
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223143/cdc_223143_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 263.57 KB ]