protective garments that fit snugly at the ankles,
Safety Practices
the neck, and the wrists. All exposed areas of the
When planning painting operations, pay special
skin of the painter should be covered with a
attention to the following factors:
protective cream.
1. Paint materials
Respirators
2. Surface preparation materials
Spray-painting guns break up the paint into a fine
3. Painting equipment
mist of paint pigments and vehicle or solvent vapors.
4. Environment
The vapors and pigment can be health hazardous if you
inhale them or allow them to contact your skin. Unless
5. Experience of the painting crew
the spray area is equipped with local exhaust
6. Degree of hazards
ventilation and tested for efficiency, personnel must
wear respiratory protection.
Remember that CARELESSNESS increases
hazards. Shortcuts often produce unsafe working
An industrial hygiene survey of the ventilation
conditions, resulting in accidents, personnel injuries,
system will determine if personnel need respirators
and loss of time and materials. An element of risk is
and the type required. Respirator users must be
still present even when well-trained personnel follow
medically screened and fit-tested to the respirator they
prescribed safety procedures. However, if safety
will use according to the NAVOSH Program Manual,
precautions are carefully observed at all times, the risk
OPNAVINST 5100.23, or the NAVOSH Program
of accidents will be minimal.
Manual for Forces Afloat, OPNAVINST 5100.19.
Spray-painting equipment has been known to
There are two types of respirators: air-purifying
and supplied air. The correct respirator must be
produce several thousand volts of static electricity. For
selected for the hazard.
this reason, the spray gun nozzle and any explosive
items being painted must be grounded to the same
1. Air-purifying respirators: Air-purifying
point during the spray-painting operation. When
respirators have filters or cartridges to trap or
high-voltage spray-painting equipment is used or
absorb air contaminants. For spray painting,
installed, it must be done according to the National
personnel must be protected against the organic
Electrical Code.
vapors of the paint vehicle, or solvent, and
The application of paints, varnishes, lacquers, and
against the pigment mist. This requires an
enamels by the spraying process is more hazardous
organic vapor cartridge with a mist prefilter over
than the application by brush for several reasons:
the cartridge. The cartridge and the prefilter
attach to either a full-facepiece or half-facepiece
1. There is a greater volume and concentration of
respirator mask. See figure 1-25. For sanding
work.
operations, a cartridge; rated as protection
2. Spraying produces a residue of flammable
against dust, is substituted on the mask. See
properties subject to spontaneous ignition.
figure 1-26.
3. Health hazards may exist because of potentially
2. S u p p l i e d - a i r r e s p i r a t o r s : S u p p l i e d - a i r
harmful substances that may be present (such as
respirators are used when there is an oxygen
lead, benzol, and silicone). Therefore, all safety
d e fi c i e n cy o r t h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f a i r
precautions must be strictly observed. Personnel
contamination is too high to use air-purifying
must continuously observe good habits of
respirators. They are used when the air
personal hygiene to avoid the health hazard of
contaminant has no warning properties (such as
lead poisoning. Any person with a history of
smell) to alert the wearer of exposure to the
chronic skin disease, allergies, or respiratory
hazard. The air is supplied to a hose-line mask,
problems must not be permitted to work with
through an air compressor, a breathing air pump,
paint compounds and thinners. Personnel,
or a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
handling painting materials, must prevent the
See figure 1-27. If a breathing air pump or a
materials from coming in contact with their skin
compressor supplies the air, the air must be
or eyes and must avoid inhaling the mist or
vapors. A spray painter must wear gloves and
tested and certified for breathing.
1-27
