A Guide to Lead Safe Work Practices

A Guide to Lead Safe Work Practices*

Do's:

Wrap large items (like furniture) that cannot be removed in at least 2 layers of 6-mil plastic, making sure all seams have been taped.

Close all windows in and around the work area.
Cover floors (or the ground for exterior work) with at least 2 layers of 6-mil plastic, securing edges with tape.
Interior plastic coverings should extend, at minimum, 6ft in all directions from the areas where paint will be disturbed.
Exterior plastic coverings should extend, at minimum, 10ft in all directions from the areas where paint will be disturbed. If this is not possible, vertical containment should be used.

Don'ts:

Leave unnecessary items in the work area.
Leave any plastic un-secured, or reuse contaminated plastic.
Use damaged plastic
Create a situation where lead dust and debris can spread to other areas outside of the work area.

Image courtesy of United States Environmental Protection Agency, Lead-Safe Shopping List.

Do's:

Wear protective gear such as n100 rated masks or respirators.
Wear disposable clothing such as coveralls, gloves, hats, shoe covers, etc. OR wear a separate set of clothing that will be washed separately from the household laundry.
Wear eye protection.
Practice good hygiene (washing of hands when leaving work-area, showering at the end of the work day, before interacting with family members, etc.).

Don'ts:

Do's:

Work wet (with the exception of around electrical outlets).
- Wet scrape or wet sand by misting small areas at a time to remove what is loose. This avoids creating large amounts of lead dust.
- Wipe down the areas scraped and sanded with a wet cloth to ensure all loose paint has been removed and to wipe away any residual dust.
If removing components, score paint at seams, mist with water, and pry apart instead of pounding apart.
Heat guns can be used to remove paint, but must remain below 1,100°F to avoid burning or charring of the paint.
Any mechanical means of removing paint must be shrouded and connected to a HEPA filtered system to prevent lead dust from spreading everywhere.
Use of chemical strippers is permitted in well ventilated areas.
Work in small areas and clean as you go.
Always clean surfaces before applying paint or primer to ensure the new coating will properly adhere.

Don'ts:

For more detailed information on how to renovate safely, please click below.

Do's:

Clean frequently.
Always clean from top to bottom.
When removing plastic coverings, always mist dust and small debris on top and wrap the plastic "dirty side" in.
Dispose of used plastic, paint chips, construction debris, and disposable PPE in heavy-duty plastic garbage bags. Large debris must be wrapped by 6-mil plastic and stored in a covered container (dumpster or trash bin) until removed from the job-site.
Use wet methods of cleaning (wet mops and wet wipes).
Use the "2 or 3 bucket method" meaning one bucket for cleaning solution and one bucket for dirty rinse water and sometimes a 3rd in-between rinse. This helps prevent lead dust from spreading because of a contaminated mop-head.
Disposable wet wipes and mops are helpful, especially when cleaning small areas. Frequently change wipes to avoid spreading lead dust.
Electrostatically charged dry cleaning cloths are permissible after wet mopping to aid in trapping any remaining dust particles (without spreading them further).
Use of a HEPA vacuum before, during, and after remediation activities can greatly reduce the spread of lead dust.
Make sure to clean equipment too!
After the project is complete and everything has been cleaned, Clean everything one more time!

Don'ts:

Dry sweep or blow lead dust around.
Remove contaminated materials without wrapping in plastic and misting when appropriate.
Ignore clean-up, you will only make your job harder!
Remove containment measures before work is complete.
Contaminate areas outside of the work area.