Join us in moving science to solutions for... construction.
Authors
NIOSH
Source
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-158, 2005 Sep; :1-4
Link
NIOSHTIC No.
20028324
Abstract
Challenge: Bridge repair and maintenance activities, such as paint removal and drilling, can disturb lead-containing paint, which was once commonly used on steel structures. As a result, high blood lead levels have been found in workers in this field. Chronic exposure to high levels of lead can result in kidney and nerve damage. The Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH) wanted to take action and protect workers involved in bridge repair and maintenance. Approach: Working with a grant from the NIOSH Adult Blood Level Surveillance Program, the CDPH created the Connecticut Road Industry Surveillance Project (CRISP) to monitor and prevent lead poisoning among bridge construction workers. This innovative program required contractors bidding on state projects to include three key worker protection measures on their worksites: respiratory protection, on-site industrial hygiene monitoring, and centralized blood lead level monitoring and management. CRISP brought together numerous state agencies, labor unions, and NIOSH researchers. NIOSH industrial hygienists provided guidance on proper controls, such as warning signs for work areas, decontamination trailers, promoting hand washing and good hygiene. Impact: Over 2,000 workers employed by over 120 contractors had significantly lower blood lead levels compared to their counterparts in other states. Additionally, the number of new workers with elevated blood lead levels dropped from 21 % in 1992 to just 1 % in 1995. CRISP continues to be a successful model for other state and federal programs involved in bridge construction and repair.
Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website.
For more information on CDC's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.
CDC.gov Privacy Settings
We take your privacy seriously. You can review and change the way we collect information below.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests.
Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data.
Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties.
Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page.