Lead Compliance

摘要

Last fall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) imposed 68 citations and levied fines in excess of 2 million dollars on a single scrap processing operation-mostly for alleged violations of federal lead and cadmium standards. The administration charged that the company's work and lunchroom surfaces were contaminated with lead and the firm had no written lead compliance plan, no lead-related warning signs posted, and no medical surveillance and employee training programs. While such drastic regulatory actions have been rare in the scrap industry, this 2-million dollars example could be a warning that OSHA is targeting compliance with its lead and closely related cadmium standards in the scrap recycling industry. It's even more important than ever, then, that scrap companies ensure that their operations conform with these workplace safety rules. The OSHA lead standard-which took effect March 1, 1979, and is outlined in 29 CER para. 1910.1025-applies to occupational exposure to lead. (For information about the cadmium standard, see "Controlling Cadmium" on page 70.) According to OSHA, exposure to lead occurs in at least 120 different occupations, including primary and secondary lead smelting, lead pigment manufacturing and use, lead storage-battery manufacturing, and scrap recycling.