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 in June 2019 we released an updated draft rule.

A series of public stakeholder meetings will be held over the summer before we make preparations to file an official rule proposal (CR-102) later in the year.

Upcoming Meetings

There are no meetings currently scheduled.

Previous Meetings & Summaries

• September 20, 2019 Meeting Summary
• September 13, 2019
  • Meeting Summary
• August 2, 2019
  • Meeting Summary
• July 24, 2019
  • Meeting Summary
• June 28, 2019
  • Meeting Summary
• July 27, 2018
  • Meeting Summary
• June 22, 2018
  • Meeting Summary
• June 8, 2018
  • Meeting Summary
• May 9, 2018
  • Meeting Summary
• May 4, 2018
  • Meeting Summary
  • DOSH Lead Rulemaking Status
  • DOSH Lead Rulemaking Draft Overview
• Oct. 20, 2017
  • International Lead Association Presentation
  • Battery Council International Presentation
• Aug. 31, 2017
  • Meeting Summary
  • Lead rulemaking next steps
  • Lead Rulemaking Preliminary Bibliography
• Aug. 9, 2017
  • Meeting Summary
• July 18, 2017
  • Meeting summary
• June 29, 2017
  • First Stakeholder Draft Rule Language
  • Significant changes in the First Draft
  • Draft Lead Rule Presentation
• June 10, 2016
  • Meeting summary
  • Rulemaking Status Presentation
  • 2006 Archival DOSH Lead Rulemaking Documents*
    • (*)Note: This is NOT a current rulemaking proposal. The documents contained in this folder are from a previous DOSH lead rulemaking effort ending in 2006 that ultimately did not result in the adoption of any rule changes or new rules. We have posted these documents here because the current stakeholder group will review the previous proposal as part of our current rulemaking effort, but we may or may not decide to incorporate elements of the previous proposal into a new rulemaking proposal.
• Feb. 17, 2016
  • Meeting Summary
  • Lead Sampling & Analysis (Phil Peters)
  • The DOSH Rulemaking Process (Kevin Walder)
  • DOSH Workplace Safety and Health Jurisdiction (Alan Lundeen)

• January 2016
  • Materials for the January 2016 meeting
• Dec. 14, 2015
  • Meeting summary
  • Materials for the Dec. 2015 meeting
• Oct. 21, 2015
  • Meeting summary
  • Materials for the October 2015 meeting

• DRAFT DOSH Lead Rule - June 2019
• DRAFT DOSH Lead Rule - April 2018
• DRAFT Lead Rule Map - May 2018
• DRAFT Significant Changes - May, 2018
• DRAFT Lead Worker Poster
• Discussion Draft - June 2017

Current rule language

• Construction lead rules (WAC 296-155-176)
• General industry lead rules (WAC 296-62-07521)

ACOEM Position Statement

Alliance for Gun Responsibility

American Industrial Hygiene Association

Association of Local Public Health Officials

Battery Council International Letter (Nov 2016) 

Battery Council International Letter (Nov 2019)

Battery Council International Letter (Mar 2020)

CenturyLink

Costco Wholesale Corporation's

Dept of Environmental & Occupational Health Services, UW School of Public Health

Grant Count Public Utility Districts

INND (Institute of Neurotoxicology & Neurological Disorders)

Pacific Northwest Section American Industrial Hygiene Association

Public Health – Seattle & King County comments on discussion draft October 2017

Public Health – Seattle & King County Recommendations, June 2016

Public Health Association

Puget Sound Energy

Rulemaking petition from Dr. David Fleming to Governor Jay Inslee

Rulemaking petition from Dr. David Fleming to L&I

• L&I's petition response to Dr. David Fleming

Tacoma-Pierce County rulemaking comments

University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine

Washington Poison Center

Washington Sheriffs Association

Washington State Dept. of Health

Search for Lead Safety resources

Introduction to the health effects of lead

Occupational Lead Exposure Poster

Occupational Lead Standards - Objective

Updating Washington State’s Occupational Lead Standards presentation