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Most spray finishing materials are flammable so areas where spray finishing is done can present particular safety hazards. OSHA defines a spraying area as any area in which dangerous quantities of flammable vapors or mists, or combustible residues, dusts, or deposits are present due to the operation of spraying processes.
Your company might have a more enclosed structure where your finishing is done. This would be a spray booth, a power-ventilated structure provided to enclose or accommodate a spraying operation to confine and limit the escape of spray, vapor, and residue, and to safely conduct or direct them to an exhaust system.
If your workers perform spray finishing using flammable and combustible liquids, there are several hazards of which to be aware. Due to the flammable and combustible nature of most spray finishing materials, no smoking or sparking tools are allowed. These could cause fire and explosion. Paint fumes, vapors, mists, or powders must be ventilated properly. Respiratory protection must be provided if necessary. If your company has fixed extinguishing systems that use agents such as carbon dioxide in concentrations known to be hazardous to employee safety and health, your company must post warning signs.
Spray finishing using flammable and combustible liquids, regulated under 29 CFR 1910.107, covers:
If you have one of these applications at your facility, you must protect your employees who work in or around such spray finishing areas. However, there is an exemption. The regulation does not apply to outdoor spray application of buildings, tanks, or other similar structures, or to small portable spraying apparatus not used repeatedly in the same location. In addition, some automobile undercoating spray operations are exempt from the requirements pertaining to spray finishing operations. The exempt are operations conducted in areas having adequate ventilation, that use undercoating materials not more hazardous than kerosene, or undercoating materials using only solvents listed as having a flash point in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.