KINNECT can help you monitor your employees for exposure to lead to reduce the harm this toxic substance can cause to their health.
Legislative Requirements   Get a Quote or Book Online
As the largest mineral producer and exporter of lead in the Western world, occupational exposure to lead in Australia is considerably high. Not only are workers exposed during the mining process, but lead ore is also used for the production of lead compounds, pure metals, and alloys, which are used to create vehicle batteries, paint pigments, and other materials.
Workplace activities that expose people to lead include:
- Spray painting with paint containing lead
- Grinding, cutting, discing or buffing lead
- Handling components causing lead dust e.g. UV stabilisers and dry lead pigments
- Manufacturing lead-acid batteries
- Fire assay
- Radiation or vehicle exhaust repairs
- Cutting of lead-painted structural steel
- Casting or melting alloys
- Lead-paint removal
Exposure to lead that is either inhaled or ingested can result in lead poisoning, which, if left untreated, can cause nerve, brain and kidney damage and anaemia.
To monitor your employees’ health while conducting lead work, KINNECT offer health monitoring (which includes blood lead testing) which is completed according to Safe Work Australia guidelines.
Legislative Requirements
Lead health monitoring medicals need to be conducted before the worker begins lead risk work. If your employees have not undertaken this initial monitoring, it must be conducted as soon as possible.
After the initial monitoring has taken place, biological monitoring (a stand-alone blood lead test) is conducted at different intervals based on whether the employee is: a) a male or female of reproductive capacity, or b) a female of reproductive capacity. This differentiation is made because lead can remain in a worker’s system, consequently affecting any potential pregnancies in the future.
Biological monitoring should be conducted as follows:
For females NOT of reproductive capacity and males
- Six months after the last biological monitoring if the last result showed a blood lead level of less than 30μg/dL or
- Three months after the last biological monitoring if the last result showed a blood lead level of 30ug/dL or more but less than 40μg/dL or
- Six weeks after the last biological monitoring if the last result showed a blood lead level of 40μg/dL or more
For females of reproductive capacity
- Three months after the last biological monitoring if the last result showed a blood lead level of less than 10μg/dL or
- Six weeks after the last biological monitoring if the last result showed a blood lead level of 10μg/dL or more
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Learn more about Health Surveillance, search our Hazardous Exposure Directory and let KINNECT help you get on top.
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