Adequate Respirators Crucial
For Employee Health
Spray-painting booths significantly help ensure the health and safety of body shop employees, but the booths do not completely control worker exposure to paint overspray. It is therefore necessary for shops to use adequate respirators as pertaining to the regulations set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the recommendations made by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Many shops have respirators that are poorly maintained and do not adequately fit workers, which is often due to the lack of a formal respirator program. These respirators - with deformed facepieces and respirator straps that are no longer elastic - pose a serious health threat to your employees, and therefore, to your business.
NIOSH has exclusive authority for testing and certification of respirators for the automotive industry. The federal government highly recommends that shops use the appropriate, NIOSH-approved "paint spray" respirators and filters.
Choosing the proper facepiece depends on the level of protection needed - there are half-facepiece and full-facepiece respirators to choose from.
Shops should have a formal, written respirator program that ensures proper maintenance and care. The proper filters should be used and the respirator masks should adequately fit the technicians using them.
NIOSH can provide further guidance on paint shop health regulations through the NIOSH Guide to the Selection and Use of Particulate Respirators Certified Under 42 CFR 84, which explains the regulations and how to select filter types. Call 1-800-35-NIOSH to receive this guide, or visit the NIOSH Web site (http://ftp.cdc.gov/niosh/respinfo.html).
1997: A Test For Regulatory Review || Directions In Management || DIS: Using An Automotive Scope || Bridging The Gap || Paint Shop Health Concerns || Adequate Respirators Crucial For Employee Health || Guest Editorial: Nine Characteristics Of A Target Customer || Tech To Tech || Tech Tips || News Briefs || Taking The Hill || Around ASA || Shop Profile || Net Worth || Chairman's Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLV No. 2, February 1997