Ordinance on Prevention of Lead Poisoning

(Special Ordinance of September 30, 1972)
(Ministry of Labour Ordinance No. 37)

Chapter VI.  Health Management

(Medical Examination)

Article 53             The employer shall have each of its workers who are regularly to be engaged in the work designated in item (4) of paragraph 1, Article 22 of the Enforcement Order undergo the medical examination by a medical doctor as to the checkup items listed hereunder at the time of employment, at the time of transfer to the said work and every six months thereafter (annually for those workers who are engaged in the lead work designated in item 17 of Attached Table 4 of the Enforcement Order and in i) through h) of item (5) of Article 1 and those workers who are engaged in the cleaning work in the said lead work place).

(1)    Contents of the jobs in which the worker has been engaged in the past.

(2)    History of subjective and objective symptoms caused by lead and the result of previous medical examinations concerning the matters listed in items (4) and (5).

(3)    Examination of the presence of subjective or objective symptoms normally considered to have been caused by lead.

(4)   Lead content level in blood.

(5)   Delta amino-levulinic acid level in urine.

2.             Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph for medical examinations (restricted to those carried out regularly at least once every six months), those who received an examination concerning the checkup items designated in items (4) and (5) of the preceding paragraph in the previous medical examination may be exempted from receiving an examination concerning the said checkup items if deemed unnecessary by the physician.

3.             Where workers are regularly engaged in work specified by item (4) of paragraph 1 of Article 22 of the Enforcement Order and it is deemed necessary by the physician, the employer shall have the workers undergo a medical examination by a physician which covers all or some of the checkup items listed below in addition to the medical examination designated under the provision of paragraph 1.

(1)    Examination of working conditions.

(2)    Anemia.

(3)    Protoporphyrin level in the red blood cells.

(4)    Neurological examinations.

(Results of Medical Examinations)

Article 54.             The employer shall make up individual medical examination cards (Form 2) forhis/her workers, and store them for at least five years, based on the results of the medical examination based on the provision of paragraph 1 or 3 of the preceding Article (including the results of the medical examination conforming to the conditional clause of paragraph 5, Article 66 of the Law, called "lead medical examination" in the following Article).

(Hearing of Views of the Physician Concerning the Results of Medical Examinations)

        Article 54-2. Under the provision of Article 66-2 of the Law, the hearing of the views of the physician based on the results of the lead medical examination shall be carried out with the following stipulations:

(1)    Within three months of the date when the lead medical examination was carried out (where the conditional clause of paragraph 5 of Article 66 of the Law applies, the date when the said worker submitted the document showing the results of the medical examination)

(2)    The views of the physician are to be recorded on the individual lead medical examination cards.

(Reporting of the Results of Lead Medical Examinations)

Article 55.             The employer who has conducted the medical examination for his/her workers conforming to the provision of paragraph 1 or 3 of Article 53 shall submit the report on the result of lead medical examination (Form 3) to the chief of the competent local Labour Standards Inspection Office without delay.

(Diagnosis)

Article 56.        If a worker, during the period of being engaged in lead work or within 4 weeks after discontinuing the lead work, is found to have abdominal colic pain, paralysis of extensor muscle or paraesthesia of extremities, to be pale looking, or to have ache in joints or muscles, or complains of these symptoms, the employer shall promptly have the worker checked by a medical doctor.

(Prohibition of Lead-Poisoned Workers, etc. from Working)

Article 57.             The employer shall prohibit from working for the period deemed to be necessary by the medical doctor lead-poisoned workers and those workers who are diagnosed by the medical doctor as not being appropriate to be engaged in lead work to sustain their health based on the results of the medical examination conducted conforming to paragraph 1 or 3 of Article 53 or the results of the medical examination conforming to the preceding paragraph.