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Posted By Orla Herley
We're decommissioning an old power plant, built in the sixties. This involves taking out the existing steelwork which was painted with lead based paint and replacing. My operatives are working off a scaffold and all the necessary assessments, risk assesments, medical surveillance (as per CLAW, 3 monthly blood tests for the first year),air monitoring, RPE, LEV, warning signs, barriers etc for our employees have been taken care of.
However, the client undertakes safety walkabouts. This in itself is of course not a problem but I have asked that the client informs us when they conduct these walkabouts so I can inform them if any such lead working activities are taking place.
My questions are these;
If a visitor walks onto our work area without having had a lead medical, having been informed through our supervisors and various signage of the presence of lead, where do we stand?
Although the levels of lead are reletively low, the steel work is being cut through a process of "hot cutting" making the lead airborne. This process is not continouus as we have to stop to lower the steelwork onto the floors below. So how long after the cutting do I have to keep people out of the area? Are they safe to go through 10 mins after the operatives have stopped work?
Has anyone dealt with this before? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks and sorry about the terrible spelling
Orla
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By ian milne
Hi,
Suggestions: You may wish to keep handy some spare disposable suits and filter masks which should be billed to your client. Staff working on the job should also be informed how to tackle 'guests' politely and professionally. 'Guests' would probably be more irritated by the airbourne dust so you may wish to dampen with fine mist and then use an industrial cleaner with good filtration (still wearing your masks) but may let out lead vapours anyway (unsure).
Have a signing in/out book so you know who has visited the area. Ensure supervisors monitor it. Take pictures of your site and signage and keep on file. Record that you have advised your client by email, letter or at meetings etc.
That should give you some protection, at least.
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Peter MacDonald
Orla
We do this work all the time.
You must be firm with your client and dictate a safety exclusion zone around the work area that means what it says. The size of this exclusion zone can be dictated by some backround measuring of the lead fume levels under the prevailing conditions. If they insist on entering while there is lead fume exposure then they or their employers must issue them with the RPE. Don't issue them RPE yourselves. They must be face fitted and the filter / mask type dictated by the exposure levels and that's up to them.
If that fails stand down your men when they come into your area and charge the client down time.
In the past we have used paint stripper to expose the metal and used needle guns to remove the paint but find it sometimes introduces more risks than the mitigation.
Good luck
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Peter MacDonald
My last posting seemed a bit aggressive on reading it again. My point is you cannot guess the exposure level. Airborne lead fume can quickly cause problems. It is relatively cheap to organise some personal and background monitoring to quantify the exposure levels. You can then know for sure on timescales and exposure to operatives and staff. You can then choose to protect or exclude. I would always exclude first.
Pete
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Rank: Guest
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Posted By Orla Herley
Thanks a million gentlemen - very helpful, and it's reassuring to know that we're doing the right thing re exclusion zones etc.
Thanks again
Orla
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