Ordinance on Prevention of Tetraalkyl Lead Poisoning

(Medical Examinations)

Article 22.   The employer shall conduct medical examinations by medical doctors about the following items for workers who will be usually engaged in the work stipulated in item 5 of paragraph 1 of Article 22 of the Cabinet Order, at the time of the employment, transfer to the said work, and subsequently, at least once in every three months periodically:

(1)   Whether or not the workers have such symptoms as nervousness, insomnia, nightmares, loss of appetite, are pale looking, or suffer from malaise, night sweating, headaches, tremors, accelerated tendon reflex of extremities, nausea, emesis, stomach aches, uneasiness, excitement, defects of memory, and other neurotic symptoms.

(2)   Measurement of blood pressure.

(3)   Examination of hemoglobin content or specific gravity of whole blood.

(4)   Examination of basophilic red cell count or levels of coproporphyrin excreted in urine.
(Results of Medical Examinations)

Article 23.   The employer, based on the results of the medical examination (called the "tetraalkyl lead medical examination" in the following Article) as provided for in the preceding article (including the one which the worker received in the case as provide in proviso of paragraph 5 of Article 66 of the Industrial Safety and Health Law (hereinafter called "the Law")), shall make the individual medical examination cards on tetraalkyl lead (Form No. 2 (back)), and shall keep them for five years.

Article 23-2.   Under the provisions of Article 66-4 of the Law, the views of the physician based on the results of the tetraalkyl lead medical examination shall be heard in accordance with the following stipulations:

(1)   Within three months of the date when the tetraalkyl lead medical examination was carried out (the date when said worker submitted the document showing the results of the medical examination to the employer where the proviso of paragraph 5 of Article 66 of the Law applies).

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

(Report of the Results of Medical Examination)

Article 24.   When the employer has conducted medical examinations stipulated in Article 22 (periodical checks only), he shall submit report of the results of Tetraalkyl lead medical examination (Form No. 3 (back)) to the Chief of the competent Labour Standards Inspection Office concerned without delay.

(Diagnosis)

Article 25.   The employer shall have the workers coming under any of the following items diagnosed by medical doctors as soon as possible:

(1)   Workers whose bodies are contaminated by tetraalkyl lead (except those who are contaminated by leaded gasoline and are not apprehended to suffer from tetraalkyl lead poisoning).

(2)   Workers who have swallowed tetraalkyl lead.

(3)   Workers who have inhaled the vapour of tetraalkyl lead or leaded gasoline in large quantity.

(4)   Workers who were engaged in tetraalkyl lead work and are found to possess the symptoms listed in item 1 of Article 22 or complain of any such symptoms.

2.   Even when the workers are found to have no abnormality as the result of the diagnosis conducted in compliance with the preceding paragraph, the employer shall have them observed by medical doctors for the subsequent two weeks.

(Prohibition of Employment of Persons who Suffer from Tetraalkyl Lead Poisoning)

Article 26.   The employer shall not have a worker engaged in tetraalkyl lead work when the worker is suffering from tetraalkyl lead poisoning or is admitted by a medical doctor as unfit for being engaged in tetraalkyl lead work based on the result of medical examination as provided for in Article 22 or of diagnosis as provided for in the preceding Article.