7 Critical Lead Abatement Chicago Procedures

By Matthew Sanders


For most states, heavy metals have become a big nuisance. This is because of lack of effective ways to abate these metals. For this reason, people become affected due to exposure to these metals. There are so many strategies that states can use to get rid of these heavy metals effectively. In this article, you will find a few examples that you can follow to abate the metals effectively without polluting the environment. These are simple procedures that should be followed during the lead abatement Chicago practices. The practices are listed below.

The first thing that you should do is assess the conditions. There are many steps that contractors and subcontractors to determine the existence of this heavy metal in the paint and other materials. This will help you determine the associated risks to the employees or the occupants of the building. Therefore, you must follow all the procedures to determine the presence of lead and the associated risks.

After that, you should start monitoring and sampling. Generally, the buildings that were built after 1978 are assumed to be free of this metal. The buildings that were built before this year must thus be assessed in case it is suspected that the building contains paint with the metal. Then, monitoring and sampling should follow to determine whether the structure contains this metal indeed. This can be done by inspecting the paint visually, testing the soil for contamination, testing the windows, floors, etc.

An exposure monitoring is then carried out. This can be done in case there is no previous assessment of the building. Also, if there is an earlier assessment, it can be used to determine whether additional monitoring is necessary. In case the evaluation determines that the exposure of the metal should be monitored, personal exposure may also be conducted.

More so, all the workers that are exposed to the heavy metal due to their occupation, medical monitoring should be done. This is to make sure that these workers are not affected. These employees should thus ensure that they have visited a doctor to have their blood tested and analyzed. The tests are done when the subcontractor agrees, and they are carried out at a health center available locally.

Besides the medical surveillance, these workers must avoid exposing themselves to this metal at all costs. This metal is airborne, and although the contents may be too little, they can still cause health complications. Hence, these workers must practice effective bodily hygiene. Accordingly, these workers should not drink, eat, smoke or apply lip balm when they are at the site.

In addition to that, the subcontractors should ensure that their respiratory system is protected. This is paramount especially when the level of the heavy metal is suspected to be high in the atmosphere. This is a requirement by OSHA to make sure that the subcontractors do not develop respiratory complications.

More so, the health of the occupants of the building is also very significant. Thus, the health and safety of the tenants should be observed. When the paint surfaces containing the metal are disturbed within the interiors of the building, there should be controls for the same. This means that the work should be done under proper control mechanisms.




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