Lead Paint Safety Toolbox Talk
Old paint can be full of lead, and sanding or burning it off puts lead dust in the air, on your clothes and in your car. Lead damages the brain, kidneys and nerves, and children are hit hardest. You can poison your own family by taking the dust home on your work clothes.
Takes about 5 minutes.
Key points to read out
- Assume paint in homes built before 1978 contains lead. In homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978 (such as child care centers, preschools and kindergarten classrooms), work that disturbs more than 6 sq ft inside or 20 sq ft outside is done by an EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm with a certified renovator (RRP rule).
- Test before you sand, scrape, cut or strip.
- No dry sanding, no power planing, and no open flame burning of lead paint.
- Set up plastic sheeting containment and keep other people out of the work area.
- Use wet methods and clean up with a HEPA vacuum and wet wipes, never a broom.
- Wear at least an N100 or P100 respirator, or what your lead plan says, and disposable coveralls.
- Wash your hands and face before you eat, drink or smoke. Never eat in the work area.
- Change out of work clothes and boots before getting in your car or going home. Wash work clothes separately.
- Regular lead work may need blood lead testing. Ask your supervisor.
Questions to ask the crew
- How old is the building we are working in, and has the paint been tested?
- Where are we setting up containment today?
- Where can you wash before lunch?
- What do you do with your work clothes at the end of the day?
Reference: 29 CFR 1926.62 (Lead) and EPA RRP Rule, 40 CFR Part 745
Sign-in sheet
Print this page or download the sign-in sheet. Or run it in the app and the crew signs on the phone.
| Name | Company | Signature |
|---|---|---|
Get it signed
Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.