Section 35.131. Health protection

(a) Sprayers. The following recommendations apply to all workers engaged in spray painting operations:

(1) Sprayers of vitreous enamel or other siliceous materials, who are not wearing air helmets or respirators, should be supplied with a mild nonirritating solution for use as a nasal douche or wash at the end of their working periods.

(2) Spray operators in booths and room booths should exercise care not to come between the exhaust outlet and any spray created.

(3) Operators spraying in any location should not spray toward each other where there is any possibility of spray or spray vapors striking the head or face of another operator.

(4) Operators spraying inside of room booths, in the open air, or in other locations not provided with exhaust equipment should wear caps or other head coverings to protect the hair. This is not necessary in the case of operators stationed outside of a booth who are spraying into a booth.

(5) Where spraying is done in room booths, in open shops, or in the open, the employer should provide nondrying oil or grease for all workers, for the purpose of anointing exposed parts of the body during spraying operations.

(6) It is advisable not to have one sprayer working continuously on the interiors of cabinets, chests or other hollow objects, as it is difficult to prevent completely the rebound of spray into the face of the worker when doing work of this nature.

(7) In addition to the washing or bathing facilities required by Chapter 41 (relating to sanitation) adequate supplies of soap and nail brushes should be provided for spray operators and their helpers.

(b) Booth spraying. The following recommendations apply to booth spraying:

(1) Where the objects being sprayed present large, flat, upright surfaces acting as baffles, there should be at least 2 feet clear space between the sides of the object and the sides of the booth.

(2) Where cabinets, chests or other hollow objects are being coated on the interior, it is particularly important to have the entire object well within the booth and to have a space of at least 2 feet clear between the sides of the object and the sides of the booth.

(3) Where the objects to be sprayed are small they should be sprayed in a small booth.

(4) Where possible, objects to be spray coated should be placed in the booth so that the prevailing direction of the spray is downward from the gun nozzle toward the side of the booth in which the exhaust opening is located.

(5) Air pressure on the gun should be kept as low as possible, consistent with good finish. In booth spraying the distance between the nozzle and the object to be coated should, if possible, be kept under 12 inches.

(6) The use of automatically operated spray booths should be encouraged as they offer greater protection to the sprayer than other methods commonly used.

(c) Drying rooms. It is recommended that, whenever possible, drying rooms for objects coated with lacquer or other materials containing highly volatile solvents should be so located that the air from the drying room is not drawn past the working area of the sprayer.

(d) Ducts. It is recommended that ducts be of a diameter not less than the transverse diameter of the fan. They should preferably be of larger diameter so as not to introduce unnecessary air friction. Turns in ducts should be avoided wherever possible.

(e) Reduction of lead content. It is recommended that the manufacturers of vitreous enamel continue their efforts to eliminate or reduce the percentage of soluble lead in these materials.