Top Ways Lead Can Impact Your Business

November 6th, 2022

When people think about lead and lead poisoning, they most likely think about the wall paint of mid-20th century homes with harmful amounts of the heavy metal. Although lead exposures are far less prevalent today, trace amounts of lead are still commonly found in our surroundings, products, soil and even our food and water. Not only is this a potential hazard for all of us individually, but it can also be a significant problem for businesses around the country.

Our environmental testing specialists at OCCU-TEC look for lead and other hazardous materials as part of our standard phase testing, and we offer consultation to remediate your lead issues. Below are 10 ways that lead and lead exposure can impact your business.

1. Health Problems

Lead exposure can cause a range of health problems, from headaches and fatigue to more serious conditions like reproductive problems, neurological damage, and even death. Lead is particularly harmful to children, as their developing brains are more susceptible to damage from lead exposure. Pregnant women are also at risk, as lead exposure can lead to developmental problems in unborn babies.

2. Increased Employee Absences and Decreased Productivity

As employees are exposed to lead and start to experience symptoms, they are bound to miss work. After lead exposure, businesses can expect a sharp increase in employee absences and a similar decrease in company productivity due to a lack of employees. The knowledge of lead exposure across your team could even result in resignations due to the potential health risks.

3. Workers Compensation Liability

Businesses may be liable for damages if their employees suffer health problems as a result of lead exposure while at work. Health complications caused by lead can include expensive specialist visits and procedures. On top of the cost of health care, businesses can get bogged down in legal work costing valuable executive time and money.

4. Product/Equipment Replacement

After lead exposure, a business's products or equipment may need to be treated or replaced. These repairs and treatments can take time, putting your business at a disadvantage, and can be very costly.

5. Safety Hazards

Lead in lead-acid batteries can lead to chemically reactive fires and explosions. Those same lead-acid batteries may also leak, posing a serious burn risk for employees and property. Lead found in the environment can also lead to health complications for employees. To mitigate the risks, businesses need to hire professionals to protect their working environment and avoid potential damage costs.

6. Updating Environmental Regulation Compliance

After lead exposure, businesses may be required to comply with strict environmental regulations if they use or produce lead-containing products. Our team at OCCU-TEC is here to help your business through complicated environmental regulation remediation.

7. Environmental Health Risks

Lead can contaminate groundwater and soil, posing a risk to the environment and human health. These external health risks can cause businesses the same issues with environmental regulation compliance at the direction of state and federal agencies and worker’s compensation claims.

8. Brand Reputation

We’ve all heard that no press is bad press. Unfortunately, that’s not universally true. Businesses with significant lead production or exposure problems are at risk of receiving a negative perception from the public. This can lead to a smaller customer base, difficulties recruiting new employees, and conflicts with local governing bodies.

9. Investor Confidence

Investors may be reluctant to invest in a business that uses or produces lead-containing products, potentially causing a drop in operating assets.

10. Property Values and Liability

Properties with known lead hazards decrease the property value and potentially cause costly remediation efforts or lead to property use restrictions. Under current federal laws, contaminants originating from activities on your property are the responsibility of the generator or property owners and, if left unmanaged, may migrate to neighboring properties leading to property disputes, legal proceedings, regulatory fines and extensive remediation costs.

Lead can be a harmful and potentially deadly substance for all of us and can cause issues for businesses around the country. Contact us today to learn more about our environmental phase testing and how our team at OCCU-TEC can help protect your business from the harmful impacts of lead.