Housekeeping Practices

The Lead Standard for Construction requires an effective housekeeping program and holds employers responsible for ensuring that workers practice correct personal hygiene. This means that employers must provide facilities (such as washing stations) for employees to practice proper hygiene.

Lead exposure can lead to poisoning over time. This is why it is vital to keep work areas clean and free of lead particles.

Each housekeeping program will be different based on the worksite. However, each involves a regular schedule to remove accumulations of lead dust and lead-containing debris, and certain activities are applicable to nearly all worksites. For example, in order to diminish the amount of lead-containing dust, vacuum lead dust with HEPA-filtered equipment, or wet the dust with water before sweeping. Additionally, do not use compressed air to remove lead from contaminated surfaces unless there is a ventilation system that will capture the dust that compressed air generates.

Another important housekeeping practice is to put all lead-containing debris and contaminated items into sealed, impermeable bags or containers. Label these bags and containers as having lead waste. (There are specifics to this labelling.)

To learn more about Construction Lead Safety visit our Construction Lead Safety Online Training Certification web page.