On June 28, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to revise its standards for occupational exposure to lead.
According to the OSHA press release, “recent medical research on workplace lead exposure shows adverse health effects can occur in adults at lower blood lead levels than recognized previously in the medical removal levels specified in OSHA’s lead standards.”
The ANPRM seeks public input on modifying current OSHA lead standards for general industry and construction to reduce the triggers for medical removal protection and medical surveillance and prevent harmful health effects in workers exposed to lead more effectively.
OSHA is accepting comments on the ANPRM through Aug. 29, 2022.
Specifically, OSHA is seeking comment on the following areas of the lead standards:
- Blood lead level triggers for medical removal protection;
- Medical surveillance provisions, including triggers and frequency of blood lead monitoring;
- Permissible exposure limit; and
- Ancillary provisions for personal protective equipment, housekeeping, hygiene and training.
OSHA is also taking comments on employers’ current practices that address workplace lead exposure and associated costs and other areas of interest.
Comment submission instructions are available here.
Contact ACA’s Riaz Zaman for more information.