If you occupy a building built before 1978, there may be lead based paint on interior structures
such as woodwork, sheetrock walls, block walls, doors, windows, or plaster walls. In addition,
the exterior of the building may be painted with lead based paint. Proper planning of renovations
will help prevent employee exposures and building contamination.
Determining whether lead paint is present is the first step in the planning process. A survey can
be done by collecting representative paint samples and submitting them for analysis, or by
conducting a survey of painted surfaces with an XRF analyzer and SMARTouch technology
software from 1Source. An experienced Lead Surveyor and Risk Assessor should conduct the
survey. Some states and local governments require the surveyors and contractors conducting lead
abatement to be licensed.
If lead is present, the contractor must comply with the requirements of the OSHA Lead in
Construction standard, 29 CFR 1926.62. In particular, the Contractor may need to provide
medical monitoring, hand washing facilities, protective clothing, and respiratory protection. The
degree of employee protection will depend on the actual or anticipated concentrations of lead in
the air during the various operations. Personal air sampling will determine if employees are
exposed at or above the Action Level of 30 micrograms lead per cubic meter of air (ug/m3), or
the Permissible Exposure Limit of 50 ug/m3. The OSHA standard lists several operations that
would be expected to expose workers to concentrations exceeding 50 ug/m3 but less than 500
ug/m3, or less than 10 times the PEL. These operations include:
- Manual demolition of sheetrock or block walls
- Dry manual scraping or sanding
- Using a heat gun to remove paint
- Power tool cleaning with HEPA dust collection
In addition, some operations such welding on painted steel may expose the worker to
concentrations of lead exceeding 2,500 ug/m3, or more than 50 times the PEL. Paint must be
removed from steel before welding to prevent the generation of high concentrations of lead
fume.
Lead dust remaining on surfaces may expose building occupants or the public. Lead dust and
paint chips must be cleaned by HEPA vacuuming and wet wiping with tri-sodium phosphate
(TSP). For more information on lead in paint and our SMARTouch technology, please contact
Daniel Bruun, CIH 610.524.5525 ext 17, or dbruun@1ssh.com.