General
- Do not perform work in a heavily populated area, including building air intake areas, until appropriate warnings are posted and occupants notified.
- Whenever possible, isolate the immediate work area to prevent injury to bystanders. See construction and remodel for more information.
- Protect your working area with warning flags and traffic cones when working road and traffic lines.
- When spraying roofs or building exteriors, have adequate barricades and signs to detour traffic.
- Eye protection is required whenever rust or loose paint is removed from surfaces with a wire brush. A hard hat is required if the work area is exposed to falling objects.
- To avoid splinters, always observe the condition of the wood before sanding.
- Store and dispense flammable solvents from approved safety cans only.
- Follow the manufacturer's instructions for handling all epoxy materials, thinners, catalysts, paint removers, etc. Gloves and respirators are often required.
- Make a safety check of all equipment such as staging tools, spray pots, hoses, fitting hooks, etc.
- Clean all working areas after each job and/or shift.
- Make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before handling food.
- Inspect all ladders and scaffolds before you begin work.
- An approved life line, independently fastened to the building above the worker, is required for each worker on a swinging scaffold, boatswain's chair, or unguarded slope 10 feet or more above ground level.
- Make sure that planks or ladder stages are long enough to extend well beyond the supports.
- Do not climb onto or use rolling-type scaffolds unless wheels are fully locked.
- Inspect all rope before use. Rope used around acid or caustics should be inspected frequently during use.
- Do not use fiber rope that cannot easily be bent or worked, or if fibers seem to be dry or brittle.
- Do not use fiber rope near sandblasting, or where there is exposure to chemical washing solutions.
Spraying
- An approved respirator should be worn when spray painting is being done.
- Do not paint in shops, chemical laboratories, chemical storage rooms, or similar locations without specific instructions from the supervisor of such locations.
- Do not perform spray painting in tanks, tunnels, or other confined spaces without specific permission from your supervisor. Appropriate breathing equipment, and/or controls are required for such work to assure that the atmosphere is safe.
- Do not break connections in pressurized air hose lines.
- Airless spraying with flammable materials should not be performed in confined areas unless there is sufficient ventilation to keep the atmosphere below the lower explosive limit of the material.
- Airless spraying with flammable materials may cause generation of static electricity. This will require grounding of both the spraying equipment and the object to be sprayed.
- Do not point an airless spray gun at any part of the body. Do not clean airless spray guns while there is pressure in the system.
- Inspect and clean all gauges, gaskets, and valves on all spray equipment to ensure that they are in good working order.
- Do not interfere with the mechanical operation of safety devices designed to protect you from contact with the spray under pressure.
- Do not leave rags saturated with paint or thinner lying around in a pile. In order to avoid a fire, see that these rags are left unfolded until they are properly aired out and then discard them in approved containers. Storage in a water filled container is recommended.
- Spontaneous ignition can occur if certain types of spray paint residues are permitted to mix or accumulate.
- Dispose of surplus paints and solvents by approved methods only.
- Removal of lead-based paint requires additional personal protective equipment and air sampling to determine lead exposure.
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