FactSheet 

Protecting Workers from Lead Hazards 

Cleaning up after a flood requires hundreds of workers to renovate and repair, or 

tear down and dispose of, damaged or destroyed structures and materials. Repair, 

renovation and demolition operations often generate dangerous airborne concentrations of lead, a metal that can cause damage to the nervous system, kidneys, 

blood forming organs, and reproductive system if inhaled or ingested in dangerous quantities. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has 

developed regulations designed to protect workers involved in construction 

activities from the hazards of lead exposure. 

How You Can Become Exposed to Lead 

Lead is an ingredient in thousands of products widely used throughout industry, including lead-based paints, lead solder, electrical 

fittings and conduits, tank linings, plumbing 

fixtures, and many metal alloys. Although 

many uses of lead have been banned, leadbased paints continue to be used on bridges, 

railways, ships, and other steel structures 

because of its rust- and corrosion-inhibiting 

properties. Also, many homes were painted 

with lead-containing paints. Significant lead 

exposures can also occur when paint is 

removed from surfaces previously covered 

with lead-based paint. 

Operations that can generate lead 

dust and fumes include: 

• Demolition of structures; 

• Flame-torch cutting; 

• Welding; 

• Use of heat guns, sanders, scrapers, or 

grinders to remove lead paint; and 

• Abrasive blasting of steel structures 

OSHA has regulations governing construction worker exposure to lead. Employers of 

construction workers engaged in the repair, 

renovation, removal, demolition, and salvage 

of flood-damaged structures and materials 

are responsible for the development and 

implementation of a worker protection program in accordance with Title 29 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 1926.62. This 

program is essential to minimize worker risk 

of lead exposure. Construction projects vary 

in their scope and potential for exposing 

workers to lead and other hazards. Many 

projects involve only limited exposure, such 

as the removal of paint from a few interior 

residential surfaces, while others may involve 

substantial exposures. Employers must be in 

compliance with OSHA’s lead standard at all 

times. A copy of the standard and a brochure 

— Lead in Construction (OSHA 3142) — 

describing how to comply with it, are available from OSHA Publications, P.O. Box 

37535, Washington, D.C. 20013-7535, (202) 

693-1888(phone), or (202) 693-2498(fax); or 

visit OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov. 

Major Elements of OSHA’s Lead 

Standard 

• A permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 

micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air, 

as averaged over an 8-hour period. 

• Requirements that employers use engineering controls and work practices, where 

feasible, to reduce worker exposure. 

• Requirements that employees observe 

good personal hygiene practices, such as 

washing hands before eating and taking a 

shower before leaving the worksite. 

• Requirements that employees be provided 

with protective clothing and, where necessary, with respiratory protection accordance with 29 CFR 1910.134. 
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• A requirement that employees exposed to Additional Information 

high levels of lead be enrolled in a medical 

surveillance program. 

For more information on this, and other 

health-related issues impacting workers, visit 

OSHA’s Web site at www.osha.gov. 

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or 

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of 

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627. 

For more complete information: 

U.S. Department of Labor 

www.osha.gov 

(800) 321-OSHA 

DSTM 9/2005