Lead Rulemaking
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Division of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH) is currently working to improve Washington’s occupational lead standards, which haven’t been significantly updated in over 40 years.
Since existing standards were first adopted in the 1970s, scientific understanding of the health risks associated with lead exposure has evolved considerably. We now know that much lower levels of lead in the body than previously thought have the potential for significant harm. Lead, however, remains an integral material for a variety of industrial applications, making the need for updated standards imperative.
We have coordinated extensively with stakeholders representing a wide variety of interests throughout the state and beyond since officially beginning rulemaking in 2016, and expect to release an updated draft rule in May 2019. Following the release of the draft, a series of public stakeholder meetings will be held over the summer (likely in June and July) before we make preparations to file an official rule proposal (CR-102) later in 2019.
***COMING SOON*** Updated Draft Rule
For additional information about this rulemaking effort, contact Kevin Walder.
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An email list has been set up for L&I to share information about this workgroup and the meetings. Select the "Lead Safety" topic when you sign up to receive email updates.
