General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Lead (General Industry)

Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05

29 CFR 1910.1025

29 CFR 1910.1025 protects general-industry workers from lead, capping airborne exposure at a 50 µg/m³ 8-hour TWA with a 30 µg/m³ action level. It requires exposure monitoring, engineering controls, medical surveillance with blood-lead testing, and medical removal protection for workers whose blood-lead rises too high.

29 CFR 1910.1025 at a glance

What it requires: Protect general-industry workers from lead exposure (battery mfg, smelting, foundries)
PEL: 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA (29 CFR 1910.1025(c))
Action level: 30 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA): triggers monitoring and medical surveillance
Medical Removal: Remove at blood lead ≥60 µg/dL; return below 40 µg/dL: earnings protected
Max penalty (2026): $16,550 per serious violation; $165,514 per willful
The #1 confusion: Lead is measured in the AIR (PEL) and the BLOOD (medical removal): both matter

What 29 CFR 1910.1025 requires (plain English)

29 CFR 1910.1025 is OSHA's general-industry lead standard: the parent rule that protects workers in continuous lead operations such as battery manufacturing, secondary lead smelting, foundries, radiator repair, and the production of lead pigments and compounds. Lead is a cumulative poison that damages the nervous system, kidneys, blood, and reproductive system, and because the harm builds silently over time, the standard controls both the lead in the air a worker breathes and the lead that accumulates in their blood. It sets a permissible exposure limit of 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA and an action level of 30 µg/m³.

The program is comprehensive. Where exposures reach the action level, the employer must conduct exposure monitoring and provide medical surveillance, including periodic blood-lead and zinc protoporphyrin testing. Above the PEL, the employer must use feasible engineering and work-practice controls (ventilation, enclosure, housekeeping with HEPA vacuuming, not dry sweeping or compressed air) and supplement with respiratory protection, protective clothing, and hygiene facilities including change rooms and showers to prevent workers from carrying lead dust home. A written compliance program ties the controls together.

The standard's signature protection is Medical Removal Protection (MRP). When a worker's blood lead level is too high (generally at or above 60 µg/dL, or a three-test average of 50 µg/dL or more) the employer must temporarily remove the worker from lead exposure while preserving their earnings, seniority, and benefits (for up to 18 months). The worker may return only after two consecutive tests show a blood lead level below 40 µg/dL. This ties enforcement to the worker's actual absorbed dose, not just air readings, and removes the financial incentive to conceal high exposures. The construction counterpart, 1926.62, extends these protections to construction with an added "trigger task" framework.

The regulatory text

“The employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to lead at concentrations greater than fifty micrograms per cubic meter of air (50 µg/m3) averaged over an 8-hour period.”

29 CFR 1910.1025(c)(1)

Key facts about 29 CFR 1910.1025

PEL: 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA (1910.1025(c)).
Action level: 30 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA), triggers exposure monitoring and medical surveillance.
Medical surveillance includes periodic blood-lead and zinc protoporphyrin testing at/above the action level.
Above the PEL: feasible engineering/work-practice controls first, plus respirators, protective clothing, change rooms, and showers.
Medical Removal Protection: remove at blood lead ≥ 60 µg/dL (or 3-test average ≥ 50); return below 40 µg/dL.
MRP preserves the worker's earnings, seniority, and benefits for up to 18 months.
Housekeeping must use HEPA vacuuming: dry sweeping and compressed air are prohibited where they disperse lead.

Scope: who 29 CFR 1910.1025 applies to

Regulatory framework: General Industry (29 CFR 1910)
Citation reference: 29 CFR 1910.1025
Enforcement status: In force and enforced
Jurisdiction: Federal OSHA (29 State-Plan jurisdictions may be stricter)

State-Plan states (e.g. California, Washington, Michigan) operate OSHA-approved programs that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and frequently impose higher penalties or additional requirements. Confirm the rule as adopted in your state.

Key requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1025

#	Employer obligation
1	Limit exposure to 50 µg/m³ PEL
2	Monitor exposure above action level (30 µg/m³)
3	Provide respiratory protection when above PEL
4	Provide medical surveillance including blood lead level testing
5	Establish hygiene facilities (change rooms, showers)
6	Medical removal when blood lead ≥ 60 µg/dL on a single test, or a three-test average ≥ 50 µg/dL

Summarized from the text of 29 CFR 1910.1025. Always read the full regulation for the binding language.

Common Lead (GI) violations

Deficiencies OSHA cites under 29 CFR 1910.1025 include the ones below, in no particular order. Distinct deficiencies can be cited as separate items, and each serious item carries up to $16,550 (2026). Broader per-instance stacking exists but is a discretionary, case-by-case OSHA enforcement policy, not an automatic multiplier.

Employee exposure above the PEL without feasible engineering/work-practice controls (1910.1025(e)).
No exposure monitoring or medical surveillance for workers at/above the action level (1910.1025(d)/(j)).
Medical Removal Protection not implemented for elevated blood lead levels (1910.1025(k)).
Inadequate hygiene facilities (no change rooms/showers) allowing take-home lead (1910.1025(i)).
Prohibited housekeeping (dry sweeping, compressed air) that disperses lead dust (1910.1025(h)).

Lead is regulated in the air AND in the blood

The key to the lead standard is that it controls two different things. The PEL (50 µg/m³) and action level (30 µg/m³) limit the lead in the AIR a worker breathes, measured by air sampling. Medical Removal Protection, by contrast, is triggered by the lead in the worker's BLOOD (measured in µg/dL), because lead is also ingested from hand-to-mouth contact with dust, so a worker can be near the air PEL yet accumulate a dangerous blood level. That is why hygiene matters so much: change rooms, showers, and no eating or smoking in lead areas prevent the ingestion route. Air controls and blood monitoring work together; controlling the air alone is not enough. The other frequent confusion is scope: 1910.1025 governs general industry (continuous lead operations), while 1926.62 governs construction (with its 'trigger task' presumptions).

What OSHA inspectors look for

A compliance officer checks exposure monitoring for lead operations such as smelting, battery work, soldering, and machining lead alloys, verifies engineering controls before respirators, and confirms blood-lead testing and medical removal for workers above the removal trigger. No blood-lead program where lead is used is a key finding.

Example: how a violation is cited

A battery plant runs a lead operation with no periodic blood-lead testing, and workers' levels climb unchecked. OSHA cites 1910.1025(j) for the missing medical surveillance and removal protection: the mechanism meant to catch poisoning before it becomes disease, with penalties from $16,550.

Illustrative example, not a specific OSHA case.

Lead (GI) compliance checklist

Use this to evaluate your compliance with 29 CFR 1910.1025. Each item is a key requirement OSHA may verify during an inspection.

Monitor airborne lead and compare to the PEL and action level.
Enroll workers at/above the action level in medical surveillance with blood-lead testing.
Use feasible engineering and work-practice controls above the PEL before relying on respirators.
Provide protective clothing, change rooms, showers, and no-eating/smoking areas to prevent take-home lead.
Implement Medical Removal Protection (remove ≥60 µg/dL, return below 40) with earnings protected.
Use HEPA vacuuming for housekeeping; never dry-sweep or use compressed air on lead dust.

2026 penalties for 29 CFR 1910.1025

Maximums set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d). 2026 amounts unchanged from 2025 (no CPI adjustment; OMB M-26-11). Not an increase. The 2025 OSHA penalty levels remain in effect for 2026; OSHA made no inflation adjustment for 2026. 29 CFR 1903.15 identifies January 15, 2025 as the effective reference for these amounts, while OSHA's public penalties page currently references penalties assessed after Jan. 15, 2026.

Violation type	Minimum	Maximum	When it applies
Serious	$1,085	$16,550	Substantial probability of death or serious physical harm.
Other-Than-Serious	$0	$16,550	Relates to safety/health but unlikely to cause death or serious harm.
Willful	$11,823	$165,514	Intentional, knowing, or voluntary disregard of the requirement.
Repeated	$4,256	$165,514	A substantially similar violation cited within the last 5 years.
Failure to Abate	None	$16,550/day	up to $16,550 per day; total capped at 30x the daily amount (FOM Ch.6)

General-industry lead citations follow health inspections of smelters, foundries, and battery plants. Serious violations reach $16,550 and willful or repeat violations $165,514; missing monitoring and no blood-lead surveillance are commonly cited together.

Maximums and the willful minimum are set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d); the serious and repeated minimums are OSHA policy floors from its annual penalty adjustment memo. OSHA applies gravity-based and size, good-faith and history reductions (FOM CPL 02-00-164 Ch.6). Estimates only, not legal advice.

The business case for Lead (GI) compliance

Lead poisoning damages the brain, kidneys, and reproductive system and can be carried home to families on clothing. Because air monitoring alone misses ingestion and cumulative dose, the standard tracks each worker's blood-lead and removes them from exposure, with pay protected, when it climbs too high.

Free compliance tools for 29 CFR 1910.1025

PPE Selector

Lead (GI) penalties by state

Penalties and enforcement vary by state. State-Plan states may impose higher penalties and additional requirements beyond federal 29 CFR 1910.1025.

Alabama Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia

View all 50 states + DC →

Frequently asked questions about 29 CFR 1910.1025

What is the OSHA lead PEL in general industry?

Under 29 CFR 1910.1025(c), no employee may be exposed to lead above 50 µg/m³ as an 8-hour time-weighted average. The action level, which triggers exposure monitoring and medical surveillance, is 30 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA. These are the same limits used in the construction lead standard (1926.62). General-industry lead exposure is common in battery manufacturing, smelting, foundries, and radiator repair.

What is Medical Removal Protection under the lead standard?

Medical Removal Protection (MRP) requires the employer to temporarily remove a worker from lead exposure when their blood lead level reaches the trigger: generally 60 µg/dL, or a three-test average of 50 µg/dL or more. The employer must preserve the worker's earnings, seniority, and benefits during removal (up to 18 months). The worker may return only after two consecutive tests show a blood lead level below 40 µg/dL. MRP ties protection to the worker's actual absorbed dose and removes the financial pressure to conceal high exposures.

What is the difference between 1910.1025 and 1926.62?

1910.1025 is the general-industry lead standard, covering continuous lead operations such as battery manufacturing and smelting. 1926.62 is the construction lead standard, covering episodic work like renovation, demolition, abrasive blasting, and torch-cutting of coated steel. Both share the same 50 µg/m³ PEL, 30 µg/m³ action level, and Medical Removal Protection framework, but the construction standard adds a 'trigger task' approach that presumes overexposure for high-risk activities until monitoring proves otherwise.

How do workers avoid taking lead home from work?

Through the standard's hygiene requirements. Where employees are exposed above the PEL, the employer must provide protective clothing that stays at work, change rooms with separate storage for street and work clothes, showers where feasible, and lunchroom facilities away from lead areas, plus a prohibition on eating, drinking, smoking, or applying cosmetics in lead work areas. These measures prevent lead dust from being carried home on clothing, skin, and hands, protecting the worker's family, especially children.

Regulatory history of 29 CFR 1910.1025

OSHA issued the general-industry lead standard (1910.1025) in 1978, establishing the 50 µg/m³ PEL, the 30 µg/m³ action level, and the Medical Removal Protection framework tied to blood lead levels. It served as the model for the 1993 construction lead standard (1926.62), which added the 'trigger task' approach for episodic construction work.

Related glossary terms

Key terms that appear in 29 CFR 1910.1025, each with a full plain-English explainer.

Lead Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)Action Level Medical Surveillance Biological Monitoring

Related guides & articles

OSHA Top 10 Most-Cited Violations 2026

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29 CFR 1910.1001

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29 CFR 1910.1003

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29 CFR 1910.1018

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Primary sources

OSHA figures on this page are imported from HazComFast's verified regulatory module (verified 2026-10-05 against eCFR, OSHA.gov, and the Federal Register).

This page is an educational summary, not legal advice. OSHA standards and penalty amounts change; confirm requirements against the current regulation and your applicable State-Plan before acting.

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