On May 5, 2025, the California Department of Industrial Relations made an important announcement that affects employers in the construction industry. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has clarified lead exposure prevention guidance specific to protecting workers conducting dry abrasive blasting while performing construction work.
California’s recently amended lead standards for the construction industry went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025 (California Code of Regulations, title 8, section 1532.1), as part of a broader effort to provide greater protection for workers from the health effects tied to lead exposure. These requirements, which are generally more protective than existing federal regulations, emphasize the increased use of protective measures, including substitution, engineering controls, and administrative controls.
According to Cal/OSHA’s guidance, employers must assess their workers’ exposure to lead when conducting abrasive blasting. Until the employer completes the assessment, dry abrasive blasting is currently limited to five hours a day; it will drop to two hours per day in 2030. After the employer completes the assessment, there is no time limit; however, exposure must stay below the permissible regulatory limit of 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Beginning Jan. 1, 2030, this limit will drop to 10 micrograms.
Cal/OSHA directs employers to Table 1 of section 5144 to determine respirator protection factors. Using...
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