| Name | Synonyms | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Smelting or casting lead | Lead production; scrap metal recycling, refining lead, melting lead, pouring lead, fire assays of ore samples containing lead (gold ores) | Producing lead fume by primary or secondary smelting, includes brass, copper and lead foundries and scrap metal recycling operations |
| Removing lead coatings | Thermal stripping or sanding of old paint (includes scraping, heat gun or power tool removal, abrasive blasting, welding and torch burning or cutting); Demolition of old structures; Steel bridge maintenance; Home renovation and remodeling; Petroleum tank repainting; Indoor and outdoor industrial maintenance and renovation; Commercial and institutional remodeling; Highway and railroad bridge demolition; Rivet busting; Housing lead abatement projects; Underground storage tank demolition; Electrical transmission tower and communication tower maintenance | Welding, cutting, brazing, grinding, sanding or blasting of old paint: houses and buildings (painted before 1978); bridges; ships; steel towers; water, petroleum or underground tanks |
| Heating, machining, or spraying lead products | Radiator repair; Battery repair; Welding, cutting, brazing, machining or grinding lead alloys; Repair and removal of water lines or cast iron soil pipes; Elevator cable babbitting; Brazing pipes and sheets; Electrical cable splicing and resplicing; Installation or removal of terne roofing; Spraying of molten lead, leaded glass or lead paint; Stained glass window removal and repair; Firing ammunition | Producing lead fume or dust by heating, machining, or spraying lead products |
| Making lead products | Lead-acid battery manufacturing; Glaze manufacturing; Lead-glazed pottery making; Crystal glass manufacturing; Making lead joints/babbitt; Pewter production; Cable production; Leaded or stained glass production; Ceramic glaze mixing and kiln firing; Paint and ink manufacture; Leaded plastics manufacture; Ammunition manufacture; Electronic components (ceramic coated capacitors and resistors) manufacturing; Manufacturing electrical components using fritted glass; Production of lead pipe, sheet, solder, type metal, cable shielding, or anodes; Mixing and weighing of lead powders | Lead products manufacturing |
In the next two tables are listed 66 industries and 46 occupations in which workers have an increased risk for lead exposure. The list of industries is based on reports of high blood lead levels from case studies, state and national surveillance programs, and Health Hazard Evaluations by NIOSH. For more information about this data, see Reports of High Blood Leads by SIC Codes.
| 1. Heating, Machining, or Spraying Lead Products | |
| Industry Name | SIC Code |
| Electrical work | 1731 |
| Roofing, siding, and sheet metal work | 1761 |
| Special trade contractors, nec | 1799 |
| Fabricated plate work (boiler shops) | 3443 |
| Plating and polishing | 3471 |
| Metal coating and allied services | 3479 |
| Motor vehicle parts and accessories | 3714 |
| Ship building and repairing | 3731 |
| Railroad equipment | 3743 |
| Silverware, Plated Ware, and Stainless Steel Ware | 3914 |
| Telephone communications | 4813 |
| Electric services | 4911 |
| General automotive repair shops | 7538 |
| Automotive repair shops, nec | 7539 |
| Welding repair | 7692 |
| Repair services, nec | 7699 |
| Stained glass artists | 8999 |
| Police protection | 9221 |
| 2. Making Lead Products | |
| Industry | SIC Code |
| Inorganic pigments | 2816 |
| Industrial inorganic chemicals, not elsewhere classified (nec) | 2819 |
| Plastics materials, resins & nonvulcanizable elastomers | 2821 |
| Lacquers & shellacs | 2851 |
| Industrial organic chemicals, nec | 2869 |
| Adhesives and sealants | 2891 |
| Chemicals and chemical preparations, nec | 2899 |
| Laminated plastics plate, sheet, and profile shapes | 3083 |
| Plastics pipe | 3084 |
| Plastics plumbing fixtures | 3088 |
| Plastics products, nec | 3089 |
| Flat glass | 3211 |
| Pressed and blown glass, nec | 3229 |
| Products of purchased glass | 3231 |
| Ceramic wall and floor tile | 3253 |
| Porcelain electrical supplies | 3264 |
| Pottery products, nec | 3269 |
| Small arms ammunition | 3482 |
| Fabricated metal products, nec | 3499 |
| Special industry machinery, nec | 3559 |
| Electronic components, nec | 3679 |
| Storage batteries | 3691 |
| 3. Removing Lead Coatings | |
| Industry | SIC Code |
| Single - family housing construction | 1521 |
| General contractors-residential buildings, other than single-family | 1522 |
| Industrial buildings and warehouses | 1541 |
| Nonresidential construction, nec | 1542 |
| Bridge, tunnel, & elevated highway | 1622 |
| Painting, paper hanging, decorating | 1721 |
| Roofing, siding, and sheet metal work | 1761 |
| Wrecking and demolition work | 1795 |
| Special trade contractors, nec | 1799 |
| Ship building and repairing | 3731 |
| Railroad equipment | 3743 |
| Welding repair | 7692 |
| Repair services, nec | 7699 |
| 4. Smelting or Casting Lead | |
| Industry | SIC Code |
| Gold ores | 1041 |
| Electrometallurgical products | 3313 |
| Gray iron foundries | 3321 |
| Steel foundries, not elsewhere classified (nec) | 3325 |
| Primary copper | 3331 |
| Primary nonferrous metals, nec | 3339 |
| Secondary smelting and refining of nonferrous metals | 3341 |
| Nonferrous rolling and drawing, nec | 3356 |
| Nonferrous wire drawing & insulating | 3357 |
| Nonferrous die-castings, except aluminum | 3364 |
| Copper foundries | 3366 |
| Nonferrous foundries, nec | 3369 |
| Scrap and waste materials | 5093 |
Workers identified as belonging to a high risk industry or occupation should be asked if they engage in high-risk job tasks for lead exposure. For example, house painters should be asked if they have been removing old paint (applied before 1978). If so, has the paint been tested for lead content? In a computer-based patient record system, each patient would be coded for industry and/or occupation at the time of initial registration. The computer could be programmed to alert the physician (under certain conditions) when the patient belonged to one of the high risk industries or occupations.
| 1. Heating, Machining, or Spraying Lead Products | |
| Occupation | SOC Code |
| Craft Artists | 29-1012 |
| Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors & Illustrators | 29-1013 |
| Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers | 35-3011 |
| Elevator Installers & Repairers | 45-2063 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters & steamfitters | 45-2112 |
| Roofers | 45-2124 |
| Helpers -- Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters | 45-2135 |
| Helpers -- Roofers | 45-2136 |
| Automotive Mechanics & Service Technicians | 47-3004 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers & Repairers | 47-4004 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 47-4008 |
| Maintenance & Repair Workers, General | 47-4012 |
| Signal & Track Switch Repairers | 47-4024 |
| Electrical & Electronic Equipment Assemblers | 49-2011 |
| Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 49-4007 |
| Machinists | 49-4012 |
| Plating & Coating Machine Setters, Operators, & Tenders, Metal & Plastic | 49-4035 |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers | 49-4051 |
| Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 49-4052 |
| Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, All Other | 49-4099 |
| Coating, Painting, & Spraying Machine Setters, Operators & Tenders | 49-9004 |
| Grinding & Polishing Workers, Hand | 49-9015 |
| Jewelers & Precious Stone & Metal Workers | 49-9017 |
| Painters, Transportation Equipment | 49-9025 |
| Painting, Coating & Decorating Workers | 49-9026 |
| 2. Manufacturing Lead Products | |
| Occupation | SOC Code |
| Chemical Technician | 19-4003 |
| Assemblers & Fabricators, All Other | 49-2099 |
| Tool and Die Makers | 49-4041 |
| Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders | 49-9002 |
| Extruding, Forming, Pressing & Compacting Machine Setters, Operators & Tenders | 49-9013 |
| Furnace, Kiln, Oven, Drier & Kettle Operators & Tenders | 49-9014 |
| Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders | 49-9021 |
| 3. Removing Lead Coatings | |
| Occupation | SOC Code |
| First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Construction Trades & Extractive Workers | 45-1001 |
| Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 45-2083 |
| Painters, Construction & Maintenance | 45-2101 |
| Helpers -- Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, & Stucco Masons | 45-2134 |
| Helpers -- Construction Trades Workers, All Other | 45-2139 |
| Construction Trades Workers, All Other | 45-2199 |
| Maintenance & Repair Workers, General | 47-4012 |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers | 49-4051 |
| Painters, Transportation Equipment | 49-9025 |
| Painting, Coating & Decorating Workers | 49-9026 |
| 4. Smelting or Casting Lead | |
| Occupation | SOC Code |
| Materials Engineers | 17-2042 |
| Materials Scientists | 19-2021 |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders | 49-4013 |
| Pourers and Casters, Metal | 49-4036 |
For information about the health effects of lead exposure, see Lead: Information for Workers, a NIOSH publication.
Revised May 30, 2018