NEWS:
 Thursday, 21 April 2011 20:48

Getting OSHA-Compliant on Plans, Protection and Painting

Written by Toby Chess                  www.autobodynews.com

 

Do you have a Written Hazard Communication Plan?
OSHA rule 29CFR 1910.1200 states that you need to have an active safety and health program in operation that deals with general safety and health program elements as well as management of hazard specific to your shop.     A written plan which describes training, labeling, Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) management and other requirements of “Right-to-Know” must be in place. A good start for you and your employees is I-CAR’s 4-hour WKR 01 (Hazardous Materials, Personal Safety, and Refinish Safety) class. The class deals with MSDS sheets, personal protection equipment and a number of hazards that are common in the body shop.

 

A couple of other items that you may want to incorporate into your plan.
� A written procedure for handling in-house employee complaints regarding safety and health.
� An incentive program for reducing work place injuries
� A formal disciplinary policy relating to safety. I know one shop that will write up techs who do not wear their safety glasses. Second time is a one day suspension, third write up is 3-day suspension, and the fourth write up is termination.

Do you have all your current and past MSDS sheets? Are they in a conspicuous location? Did you know that you must retain all MSDS sheets for 30 years after product is no longer being used? After the evacuation plan, this is a big ticket item with OSHA inspectors. You can obtain them from your jobber, manufacturer’s reps and on-line.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Let’s talk about Personal Protective equipment. Look at the picture below and tell yourself what is wrong.
The refinish tech is mixing paint with no eye protection, gloves, respirator, and paint suit. He is being exposed to isocyanates and doesn’t know it. Who is responsible for the Personal Protective Equipment (I will refer to it a PPE) and its use? Well, the employer is responsible for providing the equipment and the training in using it and the employee is responsible for actually using it.

Respirators:
>� A respirator fit test is requires yearly (29 CFR 1910.134).
� Respirators must be placed a sealed container when not in use (29 CFR 1910.134)
� A program in place for training and proper use of respirators.
� The type of respirator used for specific products will be found in the Preventative Measures of the MSDS sheets.
� Respirator cartridges need to be replaced on a regular basis. 3M P100 cartridges need to be replacing after 40 hours of use or 30 days, whichever comes first.

Here are some common questions that are asked about PPE:
� Are approved safety glasses required to be worn at all times in areas where there is a risk of eye injury?
� Are protective goggles provided and worn where there is any danger of flying particles and harmful vapors (isocyanates for example)?
� Are protective gloves issued for various toxic exposures? (Again, you can look in the Preventative Measures of the MSDS sheets for specific type of gloves that are necessary for a particular product).
� Do you have an eye-wash station and it is properly maintained?
� Is protective clothing supplied for painting (paint suit for protection against overspray and isocyanates) and welding (jackets and gloves)?
� Is proper hearing protection equipment furnished? Here is an example of an ear muff.
What Gets Most Scrutiny from OSHA?
The area that receives the most attention during an OSHA inspection is the paint department. Let’s look at some of the problem areas that need your attention. The painter is first on my list.

All painters should be wearing a paint suit, glove and utilize a fresh-air system. I think that the fresh air system incorporates goggles and respirator into one system. Your painter can wear a half-mask fresh air system or a respirator, but must also wear goggles if used instead of the full fresh air system. (Did you know that the fastest route for hazardous materials to get into the blood stream is through the eyes?)

You will also need a CO monitor if you use shop-supplied air. There are systems that use electric pumps that produce no carbon monoxide, oil vapors, or oil mist. The only drawback is that the painter will need a separate air hose (The SATA unit pictured utilizes one hose. You plug your air line into a unit on a supplied belt and a small hose comes off the unit to the CO monitor and then delivers fresh air to the helmet.)

I ask the same questions every time I conduct I-CAR’s WKR 01 class to refinish technicians and helpers. Do you mix paint? Do you clean the guns? When they answer ‘yes,’ I ask them if they wear goggles, respirators, paint suits, and gloves when they perform both task. The majority answer that comes back is they ‘only wear gloves.’ Isocycantes are present in all three operations: mixing, painting, and cleaning. The appropriate PPE must be worn at all times. You need to enforce this rule or you are setting yourself up for a lawsuit. Be forewarned.

Here are some other areas in the paint department that need your attention.
� All containers need to have a workplace label. If you mix paint for the day, it is not necessary, but if the paint is not used that day, it will need a label. A piece of masking tape with the paint code is not sufficient.
This is a disaster in the making.
� All metal flammable containers must be grounded
� A fire extinguisher must be within 10 feet of any inside storage area of flammable liquids (More on fire extinguishers in the next article).
� All solvent wastes and flammable liquids must be kept in fire-resistant, covered containers when not in use.
� All hazardous liquids must have a spill containment system
� No smoking signs must be posted in areas of flammable liquid storage
� Paint mixing rooms/areas must have explosion proof lights.

There are many companies that have these materials (Grainger is an example). Craig Oliveira of Kent Automotive gave me his parent company’s (Lawson Products) Safety Catalogue and I found it to be extremely helpful in getting all the information and products necessary to be in OSHA compliance. It is free—check with your local Kent Automotive Representative or other reputable source. Next month’s article will focus on the rest of the shop. Stay safe.

 

3M offers help to meet new EPA rule

Publish date: Jan 18, 2011

With the clock ticking on the new EPA Rule 40 CFR Part 63 - Subpart 6H going into effect, automotive repair professionals around the country are looking for a simple, affordable solution that allows them to continue to spray primer at mobile repair locations or outside of the paint booth and meet the federal standard.

The rule, designed to reduce the release of targeted hazardous air pollutants, requires that anyone performing touch-up and spot repair work with coatings containing these pollutants to use hand-held devices with a maximum cup size of 3 ounces or less when operating outside of a paint booth.The rule impacts the operations of the mobile repair units that frequently operate in parking lots and open areas. But having to put all jobs through the paint booth creates significant challenges for facility owners in terms of cycle time, job cost and scheduling. 3M, inventor of the PPS Paint Protection System of cups, lids and liners a decade ago, said it has created a new design to help paint and repair professionals meet the new federal rule without significantly changing the way they do business. The 3 ounce lid and liner system fits inside an existing 3M PPS System, and allows the painter to adapt to the new rule, the company said."The new 3 ounce PPS System from 3M is intended to help customers continue business as usual and paint where they need to," said Brian Shafer, U.S. marketing manager for 3M. "We understand the need to reduce hazardous airborne pollutants, but also understand the challenges this new standard presents to professionals. By providing a simple 3 ounce lid and liner to fit into existing systems, it allows mobile repair operations to stay in business without a significant investment in training and equipment. We hope to help maximize efficiency for all users."The new 3 ounce PPS system is designed to work with the Accuspray System, a primer gun that allows paint professionals to have a new spray gun on demand. The atomizing head delivers a large, usable pattern, provides a flat smooth finish and reduces overspray, the company said. Replacing the atomizing head is as easy as click and spray.To help business owners understand the details of the new rule and educate their employees on the requirements and necessary painting processes, 3M Automotive Aftermarket created a free online training program, available at www.3M.com/PPS under 30TM 40 CFR Part 63 - Subpart 6H Training. The training module includes a detailed review of the EPA rule and how it applies in various shop settings. It also provides hands-on training on the new procedures for paint gun set-up, paint application and job clean-up. It includes a quiz at the end, and 3M provides a certificate of completion for participants who pass the quiz. For more information, contact 1-877-MMM-CARS, a 3M distributor or 3M sales representative, or visit www.3M.com/PPS.

 

 Mitchell report says estimate severity trending flat

Publish date: Nov 4, 2010
Source: Automotive Body Repair News

Mitchell International released the fourth quarter 2010 edition of its Industry Trends Report (ITR) - the company's quarterly publication that highlights industry-related trends, news items and statistics.

 

The article "The Trend in Estimate Severity is Part Inflation and Part Parts," by Mitchell's Vice President of Industry Relations Greg Horn, delves into Mitchell's latest collision repair claims data to analyze how inflationary trends by part type impact the collision repair community.

Horn analyzes the Mitchell Collision Parts Price Index (MCPPI), a metric similar to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) but created specifically for the collision repair industry, based on the industry's most comprehensive data for the top 20 most-replaced collision parts. Parts represent approximately 42 percent of the average repairable estimate dollars, and therefore have a significant influence on the overall cost of a collision repair estimate.

"Our MCPII data for the first half of 2010 indicates that OEM parts prices have risen while estimate totals have stayed flat, with overall parts spend decreasing as more alternative parts are used due to the substitution effect-an alternative where insurers and shops choose to repair a part rather than replace it," said Horn.

"This year's data reconfirmed 2009's year-end surprise finding that when OEM part prices increase, estimate severity decreases. However, there was a significant difference that impacted all parts prices in 2010: inflation for the first half of the year was modest compared to the steady increase from 2005-2009. As well, in the 2010 timeframe, salvage parts have neither become less available nor more expensive.

In fact, Mitchell data shows that the LKQ/used parts price index has actually decreased in the 2009-2010 time span." Added Horn, "Revisiting the Mitchell Collision Parts Price Index at the end of 2010 provides the collision repair industry with the opportunity to understand the relationship between parts prices and inflation, which is critical to ascertaining where estimate severity is trending, in addition to providing us with a clear picture of how the recession continues to influence alternate part selection behavior. Future estimate severity trends will arise from the interplay of parts prices, inflation and general economic conditions, which Mitchell will continue to monitor especially as we move out of the recession."

 

Other valuable points of interest in the current issue of Mitchell's ITR include:

• Q3-2010 data reflects an average gross initial Collision appraisal value of $2,748-$69 less than this same period last year. Applying the indicated development factor 2.4% suggests a final Q3-2010 average gross Collision appraisal value of $2,814. The average Actual Cash Value (ACV) of vehicles appraised for Collision losses during Q3-2010 was $13,417-up significantly from the same quarter in 2009, reflecting strong used car values.
  
• In Q3-2010, the average initial appraisal value for Comprehensive coverage estimates processed through Mitchell servers was $2,505-compared to $2,521 in Q3- 2009. Applying the prescribed development factor of 2.2% for this data set produces an adjusted value of $2,561-a $40 increase from this same period last year. Q3- 2010's average appraised vehicle value (ACV) for comprehensive losses was $13,404-an increase of $1,562 over vehicles appraised during this same period in 2009.

To view Greg Horn's ITR interview, click here or visit www.mitchell.com.