©EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pollution Prevention
and Toxics
(7406)
EPA744-F-00-017
April 2001
www.epa.gov
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Managing Worker Health and Safety:
An Auto Refinish Shop Success Story
-sk auto body shop owners
what's their toughest job. The answer,
nine times out often: getting workers
to wear protective equipment. While
there's no quick fix—changing
behavior is always tough—this case
study will show there is a solution.
One person—a dedicated shop
manager with clear health and safety
duties and the support of the shop
owner—can be the key to consistent
use of protective equipment, by
everyone in the shop.
Design for the Environment
Auto Refinish Project
In its Auto Refinish Project, U.S.
EPA's Design for the Environment
(DfE) Program works with auto
refinishers to identify and encourage
safer, cleaner, and more efficient
practices and technologies.
EPA's project team has uncovered
many examples of health and safety
efficiency and can help shops save
money.
If you're interested in participating or
would like to learn more about this
project, please write Mary Cushmac
at cushmac.mary@epa.gov or David
Di Fiore at difiore.david@epa.gov, or
visit the DfE web site at:
www. epa.gov/cJfe/proiects/auto.
For a virtual auto body shop
experience, filled with helpful health,
safety, and efficiency information,
visit www. ccar-greenlink. org/cshops.
The virtual auto body shop is a joint
product of DfE and the Coordinating
Committee for Auto Repair (CCAR).
The Design for the Environment
(DfE) Auto Refinish Project (see
sidebar below) came to this
conclusion after getting to know Ed
Pollitt, shop manager at AOK Auto
Body, Inc. in Philadelphia, PA, and
his boss, Art Kulis, the shop owner.
Art asked Ed, as shop manager, to
make sure the workers at AOK
know the risks from auto refmishing
chemicals and how to protect
themselves. Ed has made it his
mission to not only do his job well,
but to make AOK the safest shop it
can be.
Ed's health and safety strategy
focuses on three key components:
Awareness of Hazardous
Materials via Material Safety
Data Sheets (MSDSs),
Use of Protective Equipment,
and
Employee Training.
To implement this strategy, Ed must
manage the receipt of materials and
equipment, the assessment and
scheduling of shop maintenance, and
workers' use of safety equipment.
This case study explains how Ed's
concern about shop practices,
constant vigilance, and persistent
reminders have led to AOK's success
in keeping its employees safe,
healthy, and on the job!
Know What's Hazardous:
Material Safety Data
Sheets
At AOK, one of Ed's most important
duties is to review MSDSs with
employees and keep the sheets
organized and readily accessible. Ed
routinely discusses each new product
with workers. Using the MSDSs, he
informs them about each product's
health hazards and any protective
measures recommended by the
product manufacturer or supplier. "I
read every MSDS, from front to
back," says Ed, "This way I know all
the hazards and can let the guys
know. Some of the shop materials
can cause blindness, nerve damage,
asthma... I make sure the guys know
the dangers so they protect
themselves."
AOK Auto Body's Art Kulis and Ed Pollitt
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Ed reviews MSDS information
with all ofAOK's employees
Record-Keeping
The upkeep of MSDS files might
seem unimportant, but for Ed, it's a
priority. As he explains, "I need to
make sure I have a current MSDS
for each chemical in the shop, so I
can be up-to-date on the health
hazards and what the guys need to
wear—the right gloves, goggles, and
respirators—to protect themselves."
Monitoring Deliveries: Where's
the MSDS?
Ed also supervises the receipt and
storage of shop materials. As supply
manager, he keeps a watchful eye to
ensure that each product arrives with
its MSDSs. "If a product arrives
without an MSDS," Ed says, "I
place it in a holding area and notify
the manufacturer that we will not
accept delivery until we have an
MSDS. After that, it usually doesn't
take long before one shows up."
This practice ensures that Ed and the
auto refinishers know a new
product's hazards before it is used in
the shop. Ed says, "The guys usually
appreciate this extra effort
particularly when the MSDS
identifies a hazard they weren't
aware of." It also makes the supplier
aware that AOK insists on being
informed and will only use a product
after understanding how to use it
safely.
Be Prepared with the Right
Protective Equipment
AOK maintains a safe work
environment largely because all
workers, painters, technicians, and
helpers consistently use the protective
equipment specified in the MSDS.
Whether dry or wet sanding, mixing
or spraying paint, the employees at
AOK wear gloves and safety glasses
and, when appropriate, paint suits and
air purifying or supplied air
respirators.
Everyone at AOK works safely
because Ed supervises them and is
attentive to their protective equipment
needs. Ed works with the painters and
technicians to select and purchase
equipment that is right for them,
effective, and comfortable.
Purchase and Supply
Knowing the hazards and safeguards
won't get you an ounce of protection
if the equipment's not there when
you need it. Among his other
responsibilities, Ed is in charge of the
protective equipment inventory. "I
always make sure that the guys have
plenty of gloves the right type and
size, fresh respirator cartridges,
filters—you name it—everything they
need." Ed ensures that equipment and
materials are in supply, good shape
and working order. When they're not,
he handles replacement and repair.
Ed also oversees new equipment
purchases, working with employees
and manufacturers to find gear that's
appropriate and comfortable, too. It's
a common sense approach. "There's
no point ordering equipment without
knowing if the guys like it and will
wear it," Ed says. For example,
before ordering new air purifying
respirators, he convinced the
equipment supplier to let AOK try
several models over a period of a few
months. "I didn't place the order,"
Ed recalls, "until we found a model
the guys were comfortable with and
that would do the job."
Auto Body Shop Health Risks
Auto refinishers use many potentially
harmful chemicals, especially during
painting operations. Of particular
concern are solvents, isocyanates,
and paint additives. Isocyanates,
for example, are the leading cause
of occupational asthma. To safe-
guard their health, workers need to
be aware of these potential
hazards, wear adequate protective
equipment, and receive train ing.
For more information on the health
risks from isocyanates, see the
NIOSH Alert "Preventing Asthma
and Death from Diisocyanate
Exposure," at www.cdc.qov/nioshl
asthma.html.
Ed makes sure that AOK's
employees have plenty of gloves,
fresh respirator cartridges,
filters—everything they need.
The Art of Persuasion:
Employee Training
If Ed's not checking the protective
equipment, he's checking whether
the workers are using the equipment
properly. He's always on the lookout
for lapses in safety practices. "I do
have to keep reminding the guys,
especially some of them, 'Put on a
mask' or 'Get some gloves,' but they
do it," Ed says. "They know they
have to or I'll just keep bugging
them."
Sometimes protective techniques are
a tough sell. An extra air hose for
supplied air respirators, for example,
can be awkward in a spray booth.
But this isn't a problem at AOK. Ed
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simply explained the dangers of
breathing isocyanates to the painters
and told them they needed to use the
equipment. Ed says, "After our
painters found out what can happen
if they don't use supplied air
respirators, having to drag around
two hoses [one for the gun and one
for the respirator] was never an
issue."
Health and Safety Program
To comply with federal regulations,
AOK has an official health and
safety (H&S) program, which Ed is
sure to keep up and running. As part
of the program, Ed trains new
employees on a wide range of H&S
matters, including how to read
MSDSs, communicate shop hazards,
use protective equipment, and
manage wastes. He also conducts
periodic refresher courses for all
employees.
Ed is also always on the lookout for
training opportunities. For instance,
he made some calls and found that
his respirator manufacturer offered a
free video on proper respirator use.
Ed now uses this video as a main
component of the respirator training
required by the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA).
Outside Resources
From time to time, Ed uses outside
sources to help reinforce his safety
message and ensure the program is
up to par. For example, when the
shop's insurance carrier comes to
perform walk-through inspections,
Ed gets all the advice he can on
improving health and safety practices.
(As an added bonus, some insurance
companies offer discounts to shops
that have an H&S program.) Ed
notes, "We're paying for the
insurance, we might as well take
advantage of the services they
provide."
Message to Shop Owners: Working Conditions = Job Satisfaction
Auto body workers have something to say: Give us a shop that is clean, safe,
and comfortable, with easy access to protective equipment that works and
fits well, and we'll be satisfied, reliable employees. And they're saying it loud
and clear, according to a recent survey of auto body technicians from around
the country, as reported in The Automotive Journal (Yoswick, John. "Beat the
Tech Shortage! Stem the Experience Exodus." July, 2000, p.18). The techni-
cians listed working conditions and good safety equipment as their top priori-
ties. The AJ article makes it clear that shop owners should keep in mind their
technicians' concerns. One owner from Texas, quoted in the article, empha-
sized the need for basic proper safety equipment—safety glasses, back sup-
ports, proper respirators, protective clothing, and gloves—from the beginning of
an employee's career. The survey sends a strong message to shop owners:
the key to keeping technicians in the industry is to take good care of them.
Nothing Happens without
the Owner
Ed's the guy who makes safety a
reality at AOK, but it's AOK's owner,
Art Kulis, who's willing to put safety
on the payroll. To match AOK's
success, it's the owner who must set
the tone and either be responsible for
safety or assign those duties to a shop
manager. "I can do this job because
Art thinks it's important and good for
everybody," Ed explains. Art and Ed
both believe in the benefits of
consistently using gloves, respirators,
and other protective equipment. They
know that a healthy worker is a
reliable and productive employee. But
beyond that, Ed says, "We care about
the people who work here."
Take Advantage of Outside
Resources
Many equipment manufacturers
offer free training materials. In many
cases, protective equipment
manufacturers, jobbers and suppliers,
insurance carriers, and paint
manufacturers and distributors offer
free services or resources that can
help educate workers. Call the
representatives that service your
shop to see how they can help you.
Safety Beyond the Shop
AOK's strong safety ethic not only
serves to protect the health of its
workers, but also ensures the well-
being of the surrounding community
and environment. As companies that
use hazardous chemicals, auto body
shops have an obligation to keep their
workers and the public informed
about the chemicals in use and their
possible health or environmental
hazards. The careful and efficient use,
handling, and disposal of chemicals in
any shop is good for business and the
environment.
A dedicated shop manager with
clear health and safety duties, like
Ed Pollitt, can be the key to
consistent use of protective
equipment by everyone in the shop.
The mention or illustration of any product or company does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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The DfE Auto
Refinishing Web
U.S. EPA
http://www.epa.gov/dfe/proiects/auto
The CCAR-
Greenlink® Virtual Shop!
http://www.ccar-greenlink.org/cshops
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