A programme to protect lead mining, smelting, refining and recycling employees from exposure was a success, claim the International Lead Association (ILA).
ILA member companies in Europe, North America and Australia have now agreed to hit voluntary employee lead blood level targets of below 30 microgrammes per deciliter (µg/dl) by 2017.
The average employee lead level for ILA member companies were 15.6 µg/dl in 2014– with 4.8% of employees registering over 30 µg/dl.
In 2013, average employee blood lead levels in companies engaged in manufacturing lead from ores or recycled material was reported to be 17.2µg/dl.
Companies enrolled in the programme will have to provide the ILA with annual employee blood lead data for all facilities producing, using or processing lead and/or lead compounds.
The ILA programme aligns lead producers with a similar commitment made by EUROBAT (Association of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers) and BCI in the USA (Battery Council International).
Bob Tolliday, from ILA, said: “The initiative is part of our ongoing programme of continuous improvement and is the first global initiative of this kind in the lead industry – the targets set by BCI and EUROBAT are regional.”
Any company with one or more sites at risk of not achieving the voluntary target will be asked to provide an action plan to highlight the proposed improvements.