Subpart Z
The Lead standard applies to all occupational exposures to lead in general industry but does not cover construction or agricultural operations covered by 29 CFR part 1928.
The action level means an employee's airborne lead exposure, without regard to respirator use, of 30 micrograms per cubic meter (30 µg/m3) averaged over an 8-hour period.
For this standard, 'lead' means metallic lead, all inorganic lead compounds, and organic lead soaps; it excludes all other organic lead compounds.
The permissible exposure limit (PEL) for lead is 50 micrograms per cubic meter (50 µg/m3) averaged over an 8-hour period.
When an employee works more than 8 hours in a day, the PEL must be reduced using the formula Maximum permissible limit (µg/m3) = 400 ÷ hours worked in the day.
Employers may consider the protection factor of respirators (for the periods respirators are worn) to determine compliance with the PEL only if engineering and work-practice controls are used first and all requirements of paragraph (f) are met.
Employers must collect full-shift personal samples (at least 7 continuous hours) that are representative of each monitored employee's regular daily exposure, including at least one sample for each shift for each job classification in each work area.
Employers must determine if any employee may be exposed at or above the action level by monitoring exposures and basing the initial determination on monitoring results plus relevant considerations such as observations, prior measurements, and employee complaints.
For the initial determination, monitoring may be limited to a representative sample of employees the employer reasonably believes are exposed to the highest airborne lead concentrations.
Measurements of airborne lead taken in the preceding 12 months may be used to satisfy initial or required monitoring if the sampling and analytical methods used meet the accuracy and confidence criteria in [1910.1025(d)(9)].
If the initial determination shows any possibility of exposure at or above the action level, the employer must conduct monitoring that is representative of the exposure for each employee in the workplace who is exposed to lead.
When the initial determination finds no employee exposures at or above the action level, the employer must make a written record that includes the information specified in paragraph (d)(3) plus the date of determination, location within the worksite, and the name and number of each employee monitored.
If initial monitoring shows exposures below the action level, no repeat monitoring is required except as in (d)(7). If exposures are at/above the action level but below the PEL, repeat monitoring at least every 6 months until two consecutive measurements (≥7 days apart) are below the action level. If exposures are above the PEL, repeat monitoring quarterly.
Additional monitoring is required whenever there has been a production, process, control, or personnel change that may result in new or additional lead exposures, or whenever the employer has reason to suspect a change that may increase exposures.
Employers must notify affected employees of monitoring results within 15 working days after receiving them, either individually in writing or by posting results in an accessible location. If the results show exposures exceed the PEL, the notice must state that the PEL was exceeded and describe corrective actions taken or planned.
Monitoring and analysis methods must have an accuracy of ±20% at a 95% confidence level for airborne lead concentrations equal to or greater than 30 µg/m3.
Employers must implement engineering and work-practice controls to reduce and maintain lead exposure at or below the PEL when employees are exposed above the PEL for more than 30 days per year; if controls alone cannot achieve the PEL, the employer must use them to reduce exposure to the lowest feasible level and supplement with respirators that meet paragraph (f). If exposures are above the PEL for 30 days or less per year, the employer must at least implement engineering controls to reduce exposure to 200 µg/m3, after which a combination of controls and respirators may be used to reach the PEL.
A written compliance program must be established and implemented to reduce exposures to the PEL solely by engineering and work-practice controls according to the implementation schedule, and the written plan must include at least a description of each operation in which lead is emitted.
An employer may discontinue routine monitoring for an employee after obtaining at least two consecutive measurements, taken at least 7 days apart, that are below the action level; thereafter the employer repeats monitoring at the frequency specified for below-action-level conditions unless paragraph (d)(7) calls for additional monitoring.
Before using respirators to count toward PEL compliance, the employer must first implement feasible engineering and work-practice controls; then respirators may be used only if all requirements of paragraph (f) (the respiratory protection program) are met.
If not notifying individually, the employer may post monitoring results in an appropriate location accessible to affected employees within 15 working days after receiving the results.
An employer should verify that the sampling and analytical method used provides an accuracy of ±20% at a 95% confidence level for concentrations ≥30 µg/m3, meaning the lab and method meet the performance criteria in the standard.
The written compliance plan must describe the specific engineering plans and studies used to choose methods for controlling lead exposure. Employers must include the engineering design or study details that show why particular controls were selected and how they will reduce employee exposure to lead (Requirement in 1910.1025(e)(3)(ii)(B).
The written program must include air monitoring data that documents the source(s) of lead emissions and the measured employee exposures. Employers should attach monitoring results showing where lead is released, concentrations measured, sampling methods, dates, and locations (Requirement in 1910.1025(e)(3)(ii)(D).
Written lead compliance programs must be revised and updated at least once every 12 months to reflect the current status of the program. Employers are required to review and update the plan annually, and also whenever changes in processes or controls affect exposures (Requirement in 1910.1025(e)(3)(iv).
The written lead compliance program must be kept at the worksite and made available for examination and copying by the Assistant Secretary, the Director, any affected employee, or authorized employee representatives. Employers must maintain current written programs at the workplace so those parties can review them (Requirement in 1910.1025(e)(3)(iii).
When ventilation is used to control lead exposure, measurements demonstrating the system's effectiveness must be made at least every 3 months and within 5 days of any change in production, process, or control that might change exposures. Employers must document capture velocity, duct velocity, static pressure, or similar measurements on that schedule (Requirement in 1910.1025(e)(4)(i).
If exhaust air is recirculated into the workplace, the system must have a high-efficiency filter with a reliable backup filter and automatic monitoring and bypass controls that stop recirculation if the controls fail. Employers must ensure HEPA-level filtration and automatic protection to prevent contaminated air from returning to the work area (Requirement in 1910.1025(e)(4)(ii)(A) and (B).
A job rotation schedule used as an administrative control must list each affected employee, the duration and exposure levels at each job or workstation where they work, and any other information useful for assessing the control's reliability. Employers must document who is rotated, for how long, and the measured exposures at each position (Requirement in 1910.1025(e)(5)(i)–(iii).
Employers must provide appropriate respirators when installing or implementing engineering or work-practice controls, for operations where controls can't keep exposures at or below the PEL, and whenever an employee requests a respirator. Respirators are required during the transition to controls, for tasks where controls are insufficient, and for voluntary employee requests (Requirement in 1910.1025(f)(1)(i)–(iii).
The employer must implement a respirator program that meets the requirements of 1910.134(b) through (d) (except (d)(1)(iii)), and (f) through (m) for every employee required to use a respirator under this lead standard. The program must address selection, medical evaluation, fit testing, training, use, maintenance, and recordkeeping as required by 1910.134 and 1910.1025(f)(2)(i) (Respirator program requirement in 1910.1025(f)(2)(i) and Respiratory Protection, 1910.134).
If an employee experiences breathing difficulty during fit testing or respirator use, the employer must provide a medical examination to determine whether the employee can safely use a respirator while performing the required duties. The exam must follow the procedures in paragraph (j)(3)(i)(C) of the lead standard (Requirement in 1910.1025(f)(2)(ii)).
Employers must select respirators specified in 1910.134(d)(3)(i)(A), provide full facepiece respirators when lead aerosols at use concentrations can cause eye or skin irritation, and equip air-purifying respirators with HEPA filters. Selection must follow the Respiratory Protection standard and the lead standard's specific requirements (Respirator selection in 1910.1025(f)(3)(i) and 1910.134(d)(3)(i)(A).
When exposures exceed the PEL or where skin or eye irritation may occur, employers must provide, at no cost, appropriate protective clothing and equipment such as coveralls or full-body clothing, gloves, hats, shoes or disposable shoe covers, and face shields or vented goggles that comply with 1910.133. Employers must ensure employees use this equipment (Requirement in 1910.1025(g)(1).
The employer must provide required protective clothing clean and dry at least weekly, and daily for employees whose unprotected exposure exceeds 200 µg/m3 (8-hour TWA), and ensure protective clothing is removed only in designated change rooms at the end of the shift. Employers must also arrange for cleaning, laundering, disposal, and repair or replacement as needed (Requirements in 1910.1025(g)(2)(i)–(iv).
Contaminated protective clothing must be placed in closed containers in the change room to prevent dispersion, employers must inform in writing any person who launders or cleans the clothing about lead hazards, and labels on bags or containers must include the specified danger warning (or the prior caution label allowed before June 1, 2015). Employers must prevent removal of lead by blowing or shaking (Requirements in 1910.1025(g)(2)(v)–(vii)).
Floors and surfaces where lead accumulates may not be cleaned with compressed air; vacuuming or other equally effective methods are preferred, and shoveling or dry/wet sweeping or brushing may only be used when vacuuming is found ineffective. Employers must choose methods that minimize airborne lead during housekeeping (Requirements in 1910.1025(h)(2)(i)–(ii).
When vacuuming is used, vacuums must be operated and emptied in ways that minimize reentry of lead dust into the workplace. Employers should use HEPA-filtered vacuums, follow manufacturer emptying procedures in controlled areas, and prevent dust escape during maintenance or disposal (Vacuuming requirement in 1910.1025(h)(3) and 1910.1025(i).
When employees are exposed to lead above the PEL (without regard to respirator use), employers must prohibit food, beverages, tobacco, and cosmetics in those areas; provide clean change rooms with separate storage for protective and street clothes; provide showers at shift end; and provide lunchrooms with temperature-controlled, positive-pressure filtered air that are readily accessible (Requirements in 1910.1025(i)(1)–(4)).
Employees required to shower at shift end may not leave the workplace wearing any clothing or equipment worn during the work shift, and employees may not enter lunchroom facilities with protective work clothing or equipment unless surface lead dust has been removed by vacuuming, downdraft booth, or other cleaning method. Employers must enforce these rules to prevent take-home contamination (Requirements in 1910.1025(i)(3)(iii) and (i)(4)(iv)).
Employers must institute a medical surveillance program for all employees who are or may be exposed at or above the action level for more than 30 days per year, and all medical examinations and procedures must be performed by or under the supervision of a licensed physician. The employer must provide these services at no cost and at a reasonable time and place (Requirements in 1910.1025(j)(1)(i)–(iii)).
Employers must provide blood lead and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) level sampling and analysis as part of the biological monitoring required for medical surveillance of lead-exposed employees. These tests must be performed under the medical surveillance program and interpreted by the supervising physician (Biological monitoring requirement in 1910.1025(j)(2)(i)).
Employers must provide biological monitoring on the specific schedules set by the standard. Specifically, you must provide:
These monitoring frequencies are mandatory parts of the blood sampling program in the lead standard and must be followed for covered employees.
If a blood lead test meets or exceeds the medical-removal numerical criterion, the employer must provide a follow-up blood test within two weeks after they receive the first test result.
This requirement is set out in 1910.1025(j)(2)(ii), and ensures a timely confirmation test when results indicate the level that triggers medical removal consideration under 1910.1025(k)(1)(i)(A).
Blood lead sampling and analysis must meet specified accuracy and be performed by qualified laboratories.
Those requirements are found in 1910.1025(j)(2)(iii), and they ensure reliable blood lead results for medical and removal decisions.
The employer must notify affected employees in writing within five working days after receiving the biological monitoring results.
Meeting the five-working-day deadline and providing the two required pieces of information are mandatory steps under the standard.
Employers must make medical exams and consultations available on the specific schedules listed in the standard.
You must provide medical exams:
These scheduled triggers are mandatory under the lead standard.
Medical examinations must include a detailed history, a focused physical exam, and specific laboratory tests as listed by the standard.
Required elements include:
The examining physician may also order any additional tests deemed necessary by sound medical practice, and examinations prompted by symptoms or reproductive concerns may include pregnancy testing or fertility evaluation if requested.
Employees can obtain a second physician review and, if necessary, a third physician decision, and employers must follow the third physician's findings if the two earlier physicians cannot quickly resolve their disagreement.
Key points under the multiple-physician mechanism:
This mechanism protects employees' access to independent medical review and describes how disagreements are resolved.
No — the employer must assure that no one they retain, employ, supervise, or control engages in prophylactic chelation of any employee at any time.
This absolute prohibition is stated in 1910.1025(j)(4)(i), and means employers cannot arrange or permit chelation treatments intended to prevent lead effects as a workplace practice.