General Requirements
Although engineering, administrative, and work practice controls are the primary means of protecting workers from exposure to lead, source control at construction sites sometimes is insufficient to control exposure.
In these cases, airborne lead concentrations may be high and variable. Respirators often must be used to supplement other controls to reduce worker lead exposures below the PEL.
The standard requires that respirators be used before entering the work area and during any workday when an employee's exposure to lead exceeds the PEL of 50 ug/m3 over 8 hours, including:
- periods necessary to install or implement engineering or work practice controls, and
- work operations for which engineering and work practice controls are insufficient to reduce employee exposures to or below the PEL.
When respirators are required or requested, employers must provide them at no cost to workers. Respirators must be used when performing high exposure or "trigger" tasks, before completion of the initial assessment.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-2. Affected workers must don respirators before entering the work area where daily airborne exposure to lead exceeds _____.
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