October 7, 2026
Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries filed a preproposal statement of inquiry on August 4, 2026 concerning lead medical removal and return to work. The agency’s rulemaking page identifies general-industry and construction provisions as the subjects of the inquiry.
APT’s Washington lead medical removal rulemaking tracker record identifies the medical-removal inquiry and its preserved airborne-limit scope.
The inquiry starts a rulemaking process
The CR-101 statement records the subject and reasons for considering changes. A preproposal inquiry gathers information ahead of a possible proposed rule. It does not adopt a replacement blood-lead threshold or establish a new employer compliance date.
The inquiry explicitly describes a targeted first phase for workers with elevated blood-lead levels. It preserves the existing scope of airborne permissible exposure limits, action levels, exposure controls and compliance methods. L&I anticipates a broader proceeding later. These planned medical changes do not establish revised airborne limits.
Preserve the connection between monitoring and medical decisions
APT’s practical interpretation is to review how the current lead program connects exposure histories, medical-surveillance records and assignment decisions. Those records can help employers assess a later proposal without assuming its final thresholds or timetable.
General industry and construction have separate provisions, so a single procedure should not be carried across both settings without checking the applicable rule. The relevant sector should remain visible in any internal summary of the proceeding.
The sources reviewed establish the filed inquiry and its stated subject. A later proposal or adopted rule would need separate verification. The inquiry establishes no numerical threshold change or change to an employee’s current medical-removal or return-to-work requirements.
Find related developments in the industrial hygiene regulatory tracker.
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