Working with lead safe work areas

Creating safe work areas is an important part of working with lead. There are many things you can do to increase safety and reduce potential problems. Start by selecting appropriate personal protective equipment. Then make sure that your workers use it. This should include appropriate eyewear, clothing, and respiratory protection for the job. 

In particular, EPA noted that HUD s Lead Safe Housing Rule, at 20 CFR 35.1350(d), includes a de minimis exception for projects that disturb 2fF or less of painted surface per room for interior projects, 20 fF or less of painted exterior surfaces, and 10% or less of the total surface area on an interior or exterior type of component with a small surface area. If less than this amount of painted surface is disturbed, HUD s lead-safe work practice requirements do not apply. EPA s Lead-Based Paint Activities Regulation incorporates this as an exception for small projects at 40 CFR 745.65(d). EPA requested comment on whether the minor maintenance exception in this regulation should be consistent with other EPA regulations and the HUD Lead Safe Housing Rule. This provision describes the applicability of the Pre-Renovation Education Rule as well as this final rule. 

Each of the generic categories in Figure 12.9 could be used as a separate checklist at the initiation of a coaching process. The first category, for example, could lead to the development of a CBC for observation of personal protective equipment. Specific PPE behaviors for the work area could be listed in a left-hand column, with space on the right to check safe and at-risk observations. This kind of CBC could be used to record the observations of several individuals, by simply adding checks in the safe or at-risk columns for each observation of an individual s use or nonuse of a particular PPE item. 

Data from State Administration of Work Safety of China showed that 779 accidents occurred in coal mines across the country in 2012, and caused 1,384 people s death and amazing property losses. According to incomplete statistics, people killed directly by explosion, collapse, shock and other injuries in coal mine accidents only accounted for 10 percent of the total casualties, while 90 percent of them died due to oxygen depletion, toxic and harmful gases with high concentrations, escape routes which couldn t lead to a safe area (Xinda Zhao et al. 2012). 

In this type of process, a Lead Team and working subteams are developed to help aU employees identify and pinpoint safe behaviors. Everyone works together to prepare checklists for on-the-job observations. During these observations, interface must take place to provide employees with feedback on what is being done right and what needs to be improved. The process also allows for suggestions and input from employees working in the area. 

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