Work with lead checklist

Lead is a toxic metal which can cause neurological effects, anaemia, and other serious health issues. If your workers could be exposed to it, use our checklist to see if you’re doing enough to control it.

What’s the concern?

Lead fumes, dust or vapour get into the body through breathing contaminated air or during eating, drinking or smoking.

The problems with lead are not seen immediately and this can mean that workers are unaware of the cause of their ill health. The body excretes lead from the system but if a worker is exposed for long periods of time, they may accumulate high levels of the substance. The effects can include headaches, tiredness, irritability, constipation, nausea, stomach pains, anaemia and loss of weight. In extreme cases it can cause kidney, nerve and brain damage, and infertility.

lead can harm an unborn child, especially in the early weeks before a pregnancy becomes known. Women of child-bearing age therefore need special protection.

How to tackle it

The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 place a duty on employers to prevent harmful exposure to lead, whether to workers or anyone else who could be affected by their activities. Our Work with Lead Checklist is laid out as a table with a set of questions which you can mark with a “Yes”, “No” or “N/A”, i.e. not applicable.

Note. You may need to familiarise yourself with the HSE’s guidance to answer some of them, so we’ve included a link in the document.