EPA & Techinal Tips | Safety Today is More Important than Ever by SATA

 

EPA & TECHNICAL TIPS: Safety Today is More Important than Ever by SATA

Safety is an important part of today's business. Today's finishes have changed to meet the low VOC requirements. New VOC limits have been established that are designed to cut the amount of solvent and emissions into the air. This has meant removing large percentages of solvents used formerly for atomization and for transferring the solids in paint to the surface being painted. Without this solvent, the paint film is more difficult to atomize. To compensate, there are some "compliant" solvents that can be used. These solvents are typically very fast, and can also negatively affect the finish results. It has therefore been important for paint companies to find solutions to make the paint film smoother, more durable and easier to spray and work with. By moving towards a smaller "micro-molecule" the solids level of paint has risen, the viscosity has come down, and we now find ourselves spraying paint through much smaller nozzles than ever before. As time has passed, companies have introduced new very low VOC chemistry, with or without various "compliant solvents" that do spray incredibly well. We need to be sure we are protecting ourselves from all of these chemicals. The smaller molecular droplet sizes are also able to penetrate skin and mucous membranes much easier than ever before. Waterborne basecoats are widely used. This chemistry is designed to mix with water, which is a primary part of our makeup. This means the paint can absorb through our skin, and mix with the water in our body very easily. It is now more important that we wear the right protective clothing and respirators than ever before.

We deal with urethane clear coats, primers, and catalyzed products each day. We also use solvents to clean our spray equipment, and to reduce and spray solvent based products. We need the correct protection against all of these. Wear gloves and protective clothing. We know how important it is to protect our lungs from these solvents, but we often forget about how much is absorbed by our eyes, hair and skin. Choosing correct breathing equipment is very important.

SATA's best option is to use the Vision 2000 air supplied full hood with positive pressure. It is NIOSH approved in the “loose-fitting hood” category. The face piece does not fit tightly to your face, but allows air to escape around the face. It has the advantage that you can wear facial hair, and do not have to worry about the adverse effects of a poor fit. It is comfortably light. This is accomplished by design. The SATA Vision 2000 does not utilize a hard glass or plastic lens, covered by a tear-off lens like all other masks do. The thin tear-off lens is the shield. This eliminates unwanted glare. It also prevents having to look through overspray and scratches in the lens. Each time you replace the Vision 2000 tear-off lens, you have an entirely new field of vision. This mask also offers a very wide field of vision, and can be worn over glasses, without negative effect. The flip up shield adds comfort and convenience. By wearing the Vision 2000 hood you protect your lungs, eyes, hair and face from the chemicals we use each day. The mask also offers a cooling effect. The activated charcoal belt unit incorporates an easy to see gauge with a red and green zone. When the needle is in the green zone, you have enough air to give positive pressure inside the Vision 2000 hood. We also have the option of placing the charcoal filter at the wall, allowing the painters to wear only a lightweight adjustment valve on their belts. When used together with the SATA 200 or 400 series filters, painters receive clean air, with a fine particle separation down to just 0.01 microns. Clean enough to breath, and also spray today's low VOC and waterborne materials without contamination.

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