Under Cal/OSHA regulations, at what blood lead level must an employee be removed from lead exposure work?
Correct Answer
C) 50 μg/dl
Cal/OSHA Section 1532.1 requires employee removal from lead exposure when blood lead levels reach 50 μg/dl or above.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Cal/OSHA Title 8 Section 1532.1 (Lead in Construction) mandates medical removal when a worker's blood lead level (BLL) reaches 50 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dl) or above. This protects workers from neurological and systemic damage associated with elevated lead exposure.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: 80 μg/dl
80 μg/dl is far above the removal trigger. Allowing employees to work until 80 μg/dl would expose them to serious and potentially irreversible health damage. No Cal/OSHA provision sets this as the removal threshold.
Option B: 40 μg/dl
40 μg/dl is the level at which the employer must notify the employee and increase the frequency of medical surveillance — not the removal threshold. Confusing the notification trigger (40) with the removal trigger (50) is a classic exam mistake.
Option D: 60 μg/dl
60 μg/dl is between the notification level and a dangerously elevated level, but it is not a defined Cal/OSHA action level for removal. The code sets 50 μg/dl as the bright-line removal trigger.
Memory Technique
Use '50 = STOP': when the BLL hits 50, the worker must STOP lead-exposure work. The number 50 is exactly halfway between 40 (notify) and 60 (a common distractor), making it easy to pin down.
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