Managing risks associated with lead in the workplace
LEAD – Great news if you want a healthy work-force!
Lead is one of the HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS REQUIRING HEALTH MONITORING in Australia. It’s detrimental effects on humans and the unborn baby are well documented.
Like me, you will be pleased to hear that the exposure levels for lead are going to be reduced, reducing the possibility of damaging health effects to those who have to work with it
This is a GOOD thing!
Safe Work Australia has published a Decision Regulation Impact Statement (DRIS) on Managing risks associated with lead in the workplace: blood lead removal levels and workplace exposure standard.
The DRIS is the result of Safe Work Australia’s review of the current toxicological information and overseas trends in the regulation of lead in the workplace. It examines options to reduce the adverse health outcomes caused by exposure to lead in the workplace.
The DRIS has been considered by state, territory and Commonwealth Ministers responsible for work health and safety. A majority of Ministers support the preferred options to reduce the current permissible blood lead levels and workplace exposure standard, to protect workers. The preferred options will now be implemented through model work health and safety legislation:-
Reducing mandated blood lead removal levels and related requirements to reflect epidemiological and toxicological evidence:
- REDUCED FROM 50 μg/dL & 20 μg/dL to a
20 μg/dL (target level) and 30 μg/dL (removal level) for females not of reproductive capacity and males, and
10 μg/dL removal level for females of reproductive capacity.
- Workplace exposure standard of 0.15 mg/m3 down to 0.05 mg/m3.
As normal, there will be a transition period for compliance with the regulatory requirements outlined above will be two years from adoption. But the great news is that it’s finally coming.
If you have lead in your workplace and are unsure of the levels that your workers are being exposed to, we can come to your site and advise you. Please call to discuss.
The current exposure standards are shown below but you need to prepare for the new standards.
| Standard Name | Cas No | TWA ppm | TWA mgm3 | STEL ppm | STEL mgm3 | |
| Tetramethyl lead (as Pb) | 75-74-1 | – | 0.15 | – | – | |
| Tetraethyl lead (as Pb) | 78-00-2 | – | 0.1 | – | – | |
| Lead arsenate (as Pb3(AsO4)2) | 3687-31-8 | – | 0.15 | – | – | |
| Lead, inorganic dusts & fumes (as Pb) | 7439-92-1 | – | 0.15 | – | – | |
| Lead chromate (as Cr) (h) | 7758-97-6 | – | 0.05 | – | – |
For more information on this subject, check out these links:-
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