NSLS

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Revision Log

Light Sources Directorate Policies and Requirements Manual

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Number:	LS-ESH-PRM-6.2.0
Section:	LEAD WORKING REQUIREMENTS
Date:	10/23/08
Revision:	7
Prepared by:	Robert Chmiel
Approved by:	Andrew Ackerman (NSLS ESH&Q Manager)

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PURPOSE

This document is provided to expand on the requirements found in the BNL SBMS Subject Area titled “LEAD” found here:

BNL SBMS Lead Subject Area

 

SCOPE

 This document applies to: 

-         Installation and removal of Lead shielding on the accelerator and beamlines that can be completed in 30 minutes or less.

-         Work with Lead solder associated with electronic equipment assembly.

All Lead shielding work is evaluated for exposure risk.  A general assessment is documented in LS-JRA-0025.  Individual Lead jobs are evaluated through review with ESH&Q staff.

Projects requiring more than 30 minutes of Lead handling require Enhanced Work Planning.

 

RESPONSIBILIES

Engineering/Scientific Staff:  NSLS engineers and scientists are responsible to plan their projects involving Lead with attention to controlling exposure to personnel and the environment.  They must assure that work exceeding the scope of this procedure is reviewed under the NSLS Work Planning and Control System Procedure and the BNL Work Planning and Control for Experiments and Operations.

NSLS ES&H Staff:  The NSLS ES&H Staff is responsible for providing guidance on work practices, exposure monitoring, and control measures for Lead projects.

NSLS Technicians:  NSLS technicians are responsible to follow the requirements outlined in this procedure.

NSLS Work Control Manager:  The Work Control Manager is responsible to assure that the risks presented by work involving Lead shielding are managed.  The WCM will assure that all Lead work is captured for review including that completed by staff from other departments and organizations.

 

WORK CONTROL

The requirements outlined here are intended to control the personnel and environmental risks associated with Lead work projects.  All Lead work must be planned with attention to dust minimization, good housekeeping, personal hygiene, collection of scrap, and hazardous waste disposal.

 

SOLDERING STATIONS

The soldering stations that are used for electronic assembly and rework throughout the NSLS should be established and properly maintained using the following criteria:

• Demarcate the soldering station boundaries using yellow and black caution tape.

• Keep food and drinks out of the demarcated area.

• Area should be setup with an ESD mat or other heat resistant /chemical resistant material.

• Minimize storage of equipment not related to soldering within the marked boundaries.

• Post the area with a caution sign “Lead Soldering Station, Poison No Smoking Eating or Drinking in this Area” found here: Solder Station Warning Sign

• A solder recycling container is required for each station and should be labeled as- “Solder Scrap for Recycling”

• Purchase lead wipes for your area and clean the surfaces after each use, or if the station is being used on a continual basis, once every week. Dispose of these as hazardous waste. Contact the NSLS ESH&Q Staff for assistance.

• After any work within the soldering station boundaries, hands must be washed.

 

The use of soldering irons for repairs at remote equipment locations should meet the following requirements:

• Keep food and drinks away from the repair area.

• A solder recycling container should be available at the repair location and should be labeled as- “Solder Scrap for Recycling”

• Hands must be washed after work using the soldering iron.

 

MATERIAL HANDLING

Dust minimization & Good housekeeping

Lead materials must be evaluated for visible oxidation before being disturbed.  The oxidation layer can be recognized as a white powder layer on the surface of the Lead which can be either well bound or easily dispersible.

The HEPA vacuum maintained by the NSLS User Shop Machinist should be used when practical to remove loose dust from surfaces before and during disturbance of the shielding.  Surfaces may also be wiped with damp rags moistened with a 10% aqueous vinegar solution.

A Lead Work Area must be defined to minimize the area where Lead contamination may occur during Lead handling.  A table or desktop could be designated as the Lead Work Area. That surface must be completely cleared and covered with disposable paper or plastic material to avoid surface Lead contamination and facilitate cleanup.

Housekeeping

Lead Working Areas potentially contaminated with Lead dust or filings must not be cleaned by dry sweeping.  These areas must be cleaned either by wet wipe, masslinn wipe, or use a  HEPA vacuum.  The dedicated NSLS Lead HEPA filtered vacuum is managed by the NSLS User Machine Shop Machinist.

Where practical, before work begins, surfaces should be covered with disposable paper or plastic to facilitate cleanup.

Isolate Lead work to small areas to minimize spread and tracking of Lead dust and filings.

When a shielding project is complete, the floor within the Lead Work Area and under the band saw, if the saw was used for cutting, must be cleared of Lead scrap and then wet wiped, massline wiped, or vacuumed with the dedicated LS Lead HEPA filtered vacuum.  These surfaces are to be left free of any visible Lead accumulations.

Personal Hygiene

When handling Lead shielding, workers must don cloth or leather gloves and either an apron or a cloth laboratory overcoat to protect clothing and avoid skin contamination.  When heavy gloves are inconvenient and interfere with efficient work progress, the second choice is to use disposable nitrile gloves.  After gloves are removed, hands must be washed.

Lead Cutting

Lead sheet may be cut with hand sheers at any established Lead Work Area.

ALL LEAD BRICK CUTTING MUST BE DONE IN THE MACHINE SHOP IN BLDG. 726 OR THE USER MACHINE SHOP IN BLDG. 725 AND MUST BE COORDINATED WITH THE SHOP MANAGER.  Exceptions are allowed and shall be accommodated with Enhanced Work Planning. There are band saws in those shops designated for Lead cutting.  A coarse toothed blade operating at low speed is best for minimizing airborne Lead during cutting.  Lead cutting within the scope of this procedure does not require local exhaust ventilation or respiratory protection.

Personnel cutting Lead must wear protective clothing (an apron, cloth laboratory coat or Tyvek suit) and cloth or leather work gloves.

The band saw must be cleared of debris before cutting any Lead to isolate the Lead scrap and shavings from other metals.

All Lead scrap and debris must be collected in a sealed plastic container for disposal as scrap or as a RCRA Hazardous Waste (See Wastes Section of this procedure).

 

PROTECTION FROM CONTACT

Lead surfaces located where personnel could have frequent contact with the material must be painted.  This includes bricks and Lead sheet inside the hutches and near workstations where personnel are likely to have contact with the shielding.

Lead bricks that are removed for access to synchrotron or beam line components should be replaced with painted bricks if feasible.

Spray painting is not allowed on the experimental floor or in any of the exhaust hoods.

 

WASTES

• Lead scrap is recycled.  All scrap should be brought to the area in Bldg. 725 near the stock room where there are two collection places for lead scrap collection.

  • Scrap that can be reused for shielding is placed on a pallet that is covered with a plastic sheet.

  • Scrap that is too small to be reused and chips and filings from lead cutting are placed in the wooden crate adjacent to the pallet.  The crate is also covered with plastic sheet.  This scrap is recycled through the BNL Central Shops Division.

  • Lead solder balls and splatter, generated at every soldering station, must be collected in a container labeled as, “Solder Scrap for Recycling.”  This material is recycled through the BNL Central Fabrication Services Division.

• The following Lead wastes must be disposed through the BNL Waste Management Facility as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste.

• Rags, clothing, and surface covering materials with lead contamination

• Any scrap lead material that is not recycled

• Damp rags soaked in vinegar solution used for wiping oxidized Lead surfaces

• Lead shielding removed from NSLS Activation areas that has been in contact with the electron beam chamber must be radiation surveyed and segregated from other Lead material.  This shielding is placed in a drum between the West Roll Up doors marked, “Suspect Metal Waste.”

 

TRAINING

• All personnel working with Lead must complete the web based Lead in the Workplace (TQ-LEAD1) training.
• All personnel involved in Lead machining or cutting must complete the web-based NSLS Environmental Awareness for Lead (LS-ENV-LEAD) training before beginning lead machining or cutting operations.

 

ENHANCED WORK PLANNING

Projects that exceed the scope of this guidance are to be referred to the NSLS Work Planning process for evaluation.  The following are to be considered.

• Personnel Protective Equipment (including the need for respiratory protection)

• Personal air monitoring

• Contamination control

• Waste minimization, packaging and disposal

Decision on what controls are required are based on past monitoring for airborne lead concentrations, the oxidation condition of the material to be disturbed, the duration of the project, and the work area constriction.

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ATTACHMENT 1 - Lead Cutting Band Saw Usage

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PRM Table of Contents

Document Review Frequency

3 Years

Review signatures on file with master copy of controlled document

LIGHT SOURCES DIRECTORATE REVISION LOG
Document Number:	LS-ESH-PRM-6.2.0
Subject:	LEAD WORKING REQUIREMENTS

> See NSLS Quality Control Coordinator for original revision and review signatures <

REVISION TABLE
Rev	Description	Date
0	Original Document	09/27/00
1	Wastes & Housekeeping Changes	10/20/00
2	Section 4.2; added that exceptions are allowed through the use of a Work Permit.	05/02/02
3	Section 4.5 - Water, revised	05/29/02
4	Updated entire document to bring it in line with SBMS Subject Area. Note: After 3 years reconsider need for workplace air monitoring.	05/12/04
5	Complete rewrite of the document to meet the SBMS requirements and reorganize the document. Changed subject of document to "Lead Working Requirements" from "Lead Working Guidelines."	10/06/06
6	Added Attachment 1 - Lead Cutting Band Saw Usage.	10/26/07
7	Made changes to remove sections already covered in SBMS Lead Subject Area. Changed “Purpose” section to reference SBMS Lead Subject Area. Removed section on “Risk Analysis.” Removed discussion on lead contaminated clothing in “Wastes” section. Changed references to what BNL Division recycles lead under “Wastes” section. Deleted references to BNL Painters painting lead bricks. Changed reference to damp mopping under housekeeping to wet wipe or masslin wipe. Added new section on “Solder Stations.” Changed Prepared by to R. Chmiel, and Approved by to A. Ackerman.	10/23/08

For information regarding this document contact Robert Chmiel

The National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, is a national user research facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Science. The NSLS operates two electron storage rings: an X-Ray ring and a Vacuum UltraViolet (VUV) ring which provide intense light spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from the infrared through x-rays. Each year over 2300 scientists from universities, industries and government labs perform research at the NSLS.

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