Lead paint: keep the dust off you and out of your home
Hazard communication 5 min 29 CFR 1926.62
Why it matters
Old paint on houses, bridges, and steel can be full of lead. Scraping, sanding, or heating it puts lead dust in the air and on your clothes. Lead poisons your brain, nerves, and kidneys, and you can carry it home to your kids.
The talk
You cannot see, smell, or taste lead dust. It comes off old paint when you scrape it, sand it, cut through it, hit it with a heat gun, or burn it. On older homes and on painted steel, treat old paint as if it has lead until a test says it does not. The OSHA lead rule covers construction work like ours. Until the company measures how much lead is in the air for a task, jobs like hand scraping, hand sanding, heat gun work, power sanding, blasting, and torch cutting on lead paint need protection from day one. That usually means a respirator, protective clothing, and clean-up steps the company picks for that task.
Control the dust at the source. Mist the surface with water before you scrape, so chips fall instead of float. Use sanders and grinders that are hooked to a HEPA vacuum. Do not dry sweep or use a shop vac without a HEPA filter, and never blow dust off with compressed air. Lay plastic sheeting under the work to catch chips, and fold it in on itself when you clean up. Do not use an open flame or a high-heat gun to strip paint unless the company has set it up, because heat turns lead into fumes. Keep other trades and the homeowner out of the work area with plastic and signs.
Most lead gets into you through your mouth. You touch a painted surface, then eat a sandwich or light a cigarette. Do not eat, drink, smoke, or chew in the work area. Wash your hands and face with soap and water before every break and before you leave. If you wear coveralls, take them off before you get in your truck and put them in a closed bag. Keep work clothes and street clothes apart. Do not shake out dusty clothes. Lead dust in your truck seat or your laundry room can make your children sick. If you have headaches, stomach pain, or feel very tired after lead work, tell your foreman and see a doctor.
Key points
- Treat old paint as lead until a test says otherwise.
- Scraping, sanding, heat guns, blasting, and torch work on lead paint need protection from day one.
- Mist before scraping and use HEPA vacuums.
- Never dry sweep or blow off lead dust.
- Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the work area.
- Wash hands and face before breaks and before leaving.
- Keep work clothes out of your truck and your home.
Do this
- Wear the respirator and clothing the company assigns.
- Lay plastic under the work and fold it inward to clean up.
- Use tools connected to a HEPA vacuum.
- Bag coveralls before getting in your vehicle.
- Tell your foreman about headaches or stomach pain.
Do not do this
- Do not dry sand old paint without dust control.
- Do not use compressed air to clean lead dust.
- Do not strip paint with an open flame unless set up for it.
- Do not eat lunch in your dusty work clothes.
- Do not let the homeowner or kids into the work area.
Talk about it
- Has the paint on this job been tested, and what did it show?
- Where will we wash up and change before breaks and before going home?
- What could carry lead dust into our trucks or homes?
Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.
Send to the crew
The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.
Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.