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TABLE OF CONTENTS CHECKLIST: EMPLOYER DUTIES FIT TESTING CHECKLIST: WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES The Construction Hygiene and Ergonomics Program provides programs in worker protection and regulatory compliance for companies, agencies and unions involved with rehabilitation, repair, and modification of steel structures and buildings coated with lead-based paint. It offers full medical surveillance and blood lead testing; exposure assessment and air monitoring; and training services. In cooperation with the Hunter College Industrial Hygiene Program, Mount Sinai also researches workplace exposures and evaluates state-of-the-art engineering and work practice controls on construction sites. INTRODUCTION
"Working with Lead on Bridges" is a publication of the Mount Sinai-Irving J. Selikoff Construction Hygiene and Ergonomics Program (formerly Lead in Construction Program). It is a guide for ironworkers, laborers, painters, other construction workers, and contractors who work on bridge rehabilitation jobs. It describes contractor responsibilities to provide a safe working environment and to implement lead controls. Contractors should have a copy of the OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1926.62, Lead Exposure in Construction, on hand for a more detailed description. This guide also reminds workers of their responsibilities to comply with company safety programs and to participate in lead control programs. Lead is a poisonous metal. It has been used in paint for hundreds of years. Since lead-based paint inhibits rusting and corrosion on iron and steel, it has been used on bridges and other steel structures. It is estimated that more than 90,000 bridges - many in need of repairs - in the United States are coated with lead paint. Lead dust and fumes are released into the air whenever lead paint is disturbed during maintenance, reconstruction, and demolition of bridges and other steel structures. Lead was banned from residential paints in 1978 by the federal government, but it is still allowed in industrial, marine, and bridge paint. Fortunately, many owners no longer use lead paint on bridges and other structures. LEAD EXPOSURE
ON BRIDGES
Ironworkers, painters,
laborers, and other construction workers may be exposed to lead during repair
of bridges and steel structures. Workers need protection whenever they disturb
or remove lead paint - when torch cutting, grinding, scaling, needle gunning,
rivet busting, and cleaning-up. Workers are exposed by breathing in tiny
airborne particles or by hand to mouth activities, like smoking or eating.
Lead disturbing activities include:
Workers, and others nearby, are exposed when they perform these tasks. Burning is especially hazardous because lead boils at about 3000°F. An oxyacetylene torch, which burns between 5400° and 6400°F, easily vaporizes all of the lead it contacts forming tiny fume particles. The smaller the lead particle, the easier it makes its way to the lungs and to the bloodstream.
 LEAD HEALTH
EFFECTS
You get lead into your
body by breathing it in or by swallowing it. Lead particles do not go through
the skin, but if lead dust is on your hands it can be accidentally swallowed
while eating, drinking, or smoking.
Lead is hazardous
when it gets into the bloodstream where it can move around the body. High
exposures over a short period of time or lower exposures spread out over
longer time periods can cause lead poisoning. Lead can damage the brain
and nervous system, kidneys, and reproductive systems. Lead also contributes
to high blood pressure. Most of the absorbed lead is eventually stored
in the bones where it may stay for decades. Under certain conditions,
the lead stored in the bone may leach slowly into the bloodstream. Lead poisoning is preventable. Many of the health problems caused by lead exposure are reversible if exposure is eliminated or reduced. SHORT TERM EFFECTS
LONG TERM EFFECTS
 FAMILY EXPOSURES Construction workers can expose their families to lead by bringing home lead dust on their work clothes, tools, and skin. It is very important to leave all contaminated articles at the job and to shower or wash up before going home. Children and pregnant women are especially at risk. Lead poisoning in children can cause brain damage, mental deficits, behavior problems, and growth retardation.
OSHA inspectors visit construction sites when the agency believes that workers may be overexposed. They routinely investigate bridge rehabilitation sites where lead paint is being disturbed. The agency may be notified about lead hazards by local health departments or workers at the site.
EXPOSURE
ASSESSMENT
 If any employee is potentially exposed to the action level, air monitoring must be done. Monitoring should be done for the full shift, at least one sample for each job classification in each work area. Analysis must be performed by an accredited laboratory. Employees must be notified in writing of the results which represent the employee's exposure within five days of completion of the report. Whenever the results are above the PEL, the written notice must include a description of exposure reduction controls. If initial results show that exposures are above the PEL, monitoring must take place every 3 months. If exposures are below the PEL but above the AL, monitoring is repeated in 6 months. Sampling must be repeated whenever there has been a change in the job that may result in increased exposure - like change in task, increase in work crews, longer work shifts, different paint layers or thickness. ENGINEERING & WORK PRACTICE CONTROLS
Engineering and work
practice controls are required to minimize lead exposure. A compliance program
must be written by the employer to describe controls used on each job. Common
engineering and work practice controls include:
Contractors must evaluate the effectiveness of controls and make changes when air monitoring or blood lead levels increase. HEPA (high efficiency particulate air filter) vacuums collect very tiny lead particles without exhausting them back into the air. They should be used to clean the work area and to remove dust from clothing before leaving the work area. Regular shop vacuums should never be used. INTERIM
CONTROLS
The lead standard is
unique because it presumes specific levels of exposure for various tasks.
Based on these presumed exposures, respirators, protective clothing, hygiene
facilities and housekeeping procedures are required. These guidelines must
be followed until air monitoring results indicate that these protections
are not needed.
PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT
Employers must provide
protective work clothing and equipment - including coveralls, gloves, hard
hats, shoe covers, face shields and blasting helmets - to all workers exposed
to lead levels above the PEL. Disposable coveralls can be very hot and tear
easily. Cotton coveralls are more comfortable and must be laundered regularly.
Clean clothing must be provided at least weekly, and daily when exposure levels are above 200 mcg/m 3 . Contaminated clothing and equipment must never be taken home or into private vehicles. This reduces the spread of lead dust from the workplace into homes and provides added protection to employees and their families.
HYGIENE FACILITIES & SIGNS
Respirators must be used whenever engineering and work practice controls fail to reduce the lead level below the PEL or before an exposure assessment has been completed. Employers are responsible for supplying properly selected and fitted respirators. Respirators should be put on before entering the work area and should only be removed in a clean area. Fit testing is done at the beginning of the job and every year thereafter. The employer must set up a respirator program which includes:
AIR PURIFYING RESPIRATORS 
For some construction activities, employers can provide workers with an air purifying respirator (APR) to reduce exposure. This type of respirator has a protection factor of 10 and can be used when the lead levels are below 500 mcg/m 3 . APRs come with filter and chemical cartridges that are labeled and color coded. HEPA filters which are purple or pink are used to protect against lead. If workers are exposed to solvents or other chemicals, they may need a different type of cartridge. Combination cartridges are available if workers are exposed to both dust and chemical vapors.
FILTER
AND CHEMICAL CARTRIDGE COLOR CODES
POWERED AIR PURIFYING RESPIRATORS
A tight fitting powered air purifying respirator (PAPR), with either a half- or full-facemask, has a protection factor of 50 and can be used in atmospheres up to 2500 mcg/m 3 of lead. A PAPR has a filter, a battery pack, and a fan which continuously blows cleaned air into the breathing zone. These respirators are more protective than regular cartridge respirators, and may be less cumbersome than an airline. SUPPLIED AIR RESPIRATORS
Employers must provide annual fit testing to all workers before they wear any tight-fitting respirator (positive or negative pressure). Fit testing assures that the respirator face piece fits snugly on the face so that lead or other contaminants can't leak in. Poorly fitting respirators can result in overexposure and elevated blood lead levels. Respirators come
in three sizes - small, medium, large. Sizes from different manufacturers
are not the same. All fit tests include wearing a respirator and performing
various exercises. A qualitative test uses irritant smoke, saccharin mist,
Bitrex, or banana oil. If the wearer detects the substance by irritation,
smell, or taste, the mask doesn't fit. A quantitative test actually measures
leakage into the mask. In this case, if excessive leakage is measured,
the respirator doesn't fit. The test is repeated until the wearer passes.
Facial hair, dental work and scarring can interfere with respirator fit.
 MEDICAL
SURVEILLANCE
The purpose of medical
surveillance is to measure exposure to lead, detect any adverse health effects,
and evaluate the effectiveness of workplace controls. Medical surveillance
also protects reproductive ability for men and women. All workers who are
exposed at or above the action level, must have medical monitoring .
BLOOD LEAD TESTS All workers exposed to the action level for one day must have blood lead (BLL) and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) or free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) tests. A blood lead test is a good indicator of lead exposure in the previous 2-3 weeks. The ZPP can indicate high lead exposure over the previous 2-3 months. OSHA requires that blood tests be taken every two months, but many occupational physicians recommend that blood tests be repeated monthly. INTERPRETING BLOOD TEST RESULTS Test results are given in micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (mcg/dl). Normal blood lead levels are below 10 mcg/dl. Levels above normal indicate exposure to lead as follows:
The FEP or ZPP level
is considered normal if it is below 35 mcg/dl. Usually the ZPP does not
exceed 35 mcg/dl unless the BLL has been greater than 50 mcg/dl in the
previous 2-3 months. MEDICAL EVALUATIONS Medical evaluations are paid for by the employer and include detailed work history, medical history and physical exam. These exams must be provided to any worker who has:
MEDICAL
REMOVAL
If a worker's blood lead level is above 50 mcg/dl on two consecutive tests within 2 weeks, he or she must be removed from further lead exposure. The employer may transfer the worker to a job with no lead exposure until the blood lead level is below 40 mcg/dl on two consecutive tests. During medical removal, full wages, benefits and seniority are protected. CHELATION Chelating drugs
can be used by physicians to reduce the amount of lead in the blood and
body tissues. Chelation is a medical treatment for lead poisoning and
should never be done to keep a worker on the job. When chelation therapy
is used to reduce blood lead levels, all exposure to lead must be stopped.
CHECKLIST:
WORKER RESPONSIBILITIES
This paper appears in the eLCOSH website with the permission of the author and/or copyright holder and may not be reproduced without their consent. eLCOSH is an information clearinghouse. eLCOSH and its sponsors are not responsible for the accuracy of information provided on this web site, nor for its use or misuse. © Copyright 1998, CPWR – Center for Construction Research and Training. CPWR is a research arm of the Building and Construction Trades Dept., AFL-CIO: CPWR, 8484 Georgia Ave, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910. (Robert A. Georgine is president of the Building and Construction Trades Dept. and of CPWR.) Production of this card was supported by grants CCU310982 and CCU312014 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH. |
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