An auto reconditioning company is facing nearly $51,000 in penalties for safety failures at a facility in Pennsylvania. OSHA received a complaint about the company’s spray-painting operations which led to an inspection on December 14, 2015. During the inspection OSHA employees noted six serious violations including:
- Not training employees on chemical hazards
- Not evaluating the workplace for respiratory hazards
- Storing combustible waste in unsafe containers and not removing them daily
- Not ensuring that spray painting areas were built with fire resistant materials
- Permitting workers to use spray products containing toxic compounds with potential to cause respiratory reactions and cancer
- Not providing sufficient PPE and eye-wash stations
With the recent increase in OSHA’s maximum penalties, the company could have faced upwards of $92,000 in fines. These violations demonstrate the importance of promoting workplace safety in spray painting operations. Temporary paint booth set-ups present the same hazards as a permanent booth. In order to ensure OSHA compliance it is recommended that all spray painting operations have proper ventilation, a fire suppression system, localized eye wash stations, adequate PPE (gloves, aprons, goggles, and respiratory equipment), and be made of fire resistant materials. Protect your employees and property by following the OSHA Spray Opertation Standards, OSHA Spray Booth Design and Construction Criteria and the .