Limiting the Lead Dust Generated in the Lead Contaminated Worksite

Limiting the amount of dust generated on a daily basis is critical to maintaining a healthy worksite as well as facilitating a fast clean-up when the project finalizes. These quick tips performed on a daily basis add only a few minutes to each workday, but save hours of clean-up on the backend.

When working on surfaces containing lead, mist them with water prior to sanding, scraping, cutting or drilling. This simple trick will cut down lead dust dramtically.

Prior to pulling apart components, score the joint with a utility knife and pry apart rather than pounding or breaking. This will minimize the amount of lead paint chips generated at the site.

When dealing with windows sills and other nonporous surfaces, you can use chemical strippers without methylene chloride to remove the contaminated paint without generating dust.

Wipe down the work space regularly with wet wipes and disposable swiffer wetjet pads to reduce the dust buildup. Place all debris in a heavy duty trash bag daily. Trash bags should be sealed with duct tape and removed to a secure dumpster or storage facility.

HEPA vacuum the area on a daily basis, and clean all tools before removing them from the worksite.

Equipment You will Need

•Water Spray Bottle
•Utility Knife
•Dry/wet Sandpaper
•Chemical strippers without Methylene Chloride
•Power tools with dust muzzle attachments for HEPA vacuum cleaners
•HEPA vacuum cleaner
•Low-temperature heat gun
•Dry Wipes, Wet Wipes and Swiffer Wipes
•Heavy-duty plastic bags
•Duct Tape to seal the trash bags

Caution: Certain procedures are prohibited by the RRP Rules in a lead safe work space. Use of power tools to sand, scrape, grind, plane or drill without a HEPA vacuum shroud attachment is strictly prohibited. Compressed air or sand blasters may not be used to remove lead from any of the surfaces. As with all renovation activities common sense should prevail - if inhaling lead dust is highly dangerous to your health, heating it to a vapor will be extremely hazardous to your health. Therefore, you may use a low-temperature heat gun, but heat guns used in excess of 1100 degrees are prohibited, as are open-flame burning torches.

Click here to learn more about Lead Paint Removal Training and our 8 Hour RRP Lead Certification Course.

Gearing Up With Lead-Safety Gear... Six Indispensible, Disposable Items!

In part three of our series on containing lead dust in an EPA RRP regulated worksite, we offer up some inexpensive solutions to the problem of protecting your workers and residents from the hazards of the dust generated at the worksite. Using disposable gear and disposing of it on a daily basis is the best way keep lead dust contained in the work area. Remember, lead dust on worker clothing and materials is easily removed to other areas of the residence under renovation, worker’s vehicles and the firm’s main office as well as worker’s homes. Minuscule amounts of lead dust are enough to contaminate an area, so if you can see dust on your shoes, tools or clothes, that dust will be enough to create a lead poisoning hazard.

Here is a shopping list to help keep your employees and the areas surrounding the work space safe. There are several companies specializing in providing lead safe work gear, so we have added links to their websites to help you with your shopping.

Materials you will need
• Gloves (Latex)
• Disposable antiskid shoe covers
• Disposable Coveralls (Tyvec)
• Painters Hats or Hoods
• Protective Eye Wear: Dust Goggles or Foam Safety Glasses
• N-100-rated disposable respirators

To keep yourself and your workers safe while working in the regulated area, it is important to limit hand to mouth contact. That means no eating, drinking or smoking in the work area. Before eating or smoking, employees should wash their hands and faces to limit the possibility of ingesting lead dust. Once the workday is over employees must remove work clothing and wash-up before leaving the work site. In our next post in the series, we will offer tips on limiting the amount of dust generated during the workday to help you minimize daily and final project cleanup.

We invite our readers and followers to post comments regarding their own experiences as well as links to other sources of protective gear with great pricing and service!

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Step 2 In our Series: 6 Steps to Containing a Lead Contaminated Worksite

Step Two: Before the Work Begins, Containing the Area
If you are working on a home built prior to 1978, you will want to begin your bid process by testing the surfaces in the renovation area for lead paint or varnish. If you determine through an EPA-recognized Lead Testing Kit that your worksite contains lead, you will need to secure the regulated area prior to beginning any work activities. Here is a checklist of the materials you will need to properly secure the regulated area.


Materials You Will Need
• Heavy Plastic Sheeting
• Blue Painter Tape and/or Stapler
• Warning Signage which states: Warning Lead Poison Keep Out
• Warning/Barrier Tape
• Paperwork Holder

The procedures for containing the regulated space are similar in concept for both indoors and outdoors renovations. Remember, all companies involved in the renovation need to be an EPA Certified Firm and have an EPA Lead Certified Renovator on site during their renovation activities. EPA lead certification of one firm does not provide coverage for other firms subcontracting on the same project; each firm is responsible for its own activities and certifications.

Indoors Renovations:

• Remove all furniture and appliances possible prior to containment. Those items that cannot be removed should be encapsulated in heavy plastic or poly furniture covers.
• Close and seal all HVAC vents leading into and out of the worksite
• Turn off all HVAC systems during renovation whenever possible
• Seal all doors, windows and openings with heavy plastic and tape or staples
• Cover the floors with heavy plastic sheeting
• Place warning signage at all entrances to the worksite.
• Assign separate pathways and entrances to the home for residents and workers to enter and leave the site while working.

Outdoors Renovations:

• Seal all windows and doorways around the worksite
• Cover the ground and landscaping with heavy plastic
• Remove children’s playground equipment if possible, or cover with heavy plastic
• Mark-off work area with warning barrier tape

Be sure the residents understand the importance of respecting the barriers once work has begun. Curious homeowners may be tempted to sneak a peek at your progress, and in the process contaminate other areas of the residence. Once work has begun, homeowners wanting to check progress should be accompanied by one of your workers, someone who can help them to suit-up and decontaminate themselves before leaving the workspace. We will cover protective gear and clothing in Step 3 of our series, Gearing Up With Lead-Safe Protective Gear.