A safe and secure workplace doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of planning, preparation, and a commitment to doing what’s right to bring it to life in your workplace. Once the programs are in place, it’s everybody’s responsibility to follow the safety protocols to avoid hazardous conditions and accidents, and that includes when you’re bringing in outside parties to complete work.

Safety in the workplace is a choice that you make every day, and at Alpine Painting and Restoration, we take it very seriously. We’ve instituted robust safety measures in line with industry standards to help protect our employees, provide detailed training to support them on the job, and integrate a safety-first culture into all areas of operations. The safety of our employees when they applying industrial coatings and completing commercial painting jobs is of the utmost importance to us.

Building a Safety-First Culture  

Your workforce’s culture is incredibly important. It will help your employees feel valued for more than just the work they can do. The culture helps them feel seen and appreciated as individuals, which is why it’s critical to make safety a top priority. 

How can you do this? First, you have to make safety a core value and get full buy-in from your entire team. This can be challenging, and you may face resistance from tenured employees who are accustomed to doing things their way. 

To garner buy-in, focus on what’s in it for them. Listen to their concerns and ask them for recommendations. Value their opinions and use them to inform your safety-first culture. When your team feels heard, they will be more willing to support your efforts. You can even build safety recognition programs to reward your employees for promoting a safe environment, similar to industry awards and based on compliance standards. 

Your safety programs should be formal and aligned with OSHA regulations. These are industry-standard protocols that can be replicated, regardless of the job site. Failure to comply with OSHA regulations can lead to fines and even a job site closure until the violations have been resolved. 

Building a safety-first culture that’s informed by OSHA regulations can set a strong foundation for your operations. 

Training and Certification Standards  

Each employee should have core training that aligns with their job function, and that includes OSHA training to help promote healthy working conditions during industrial coating projects.

• Entry-level associates should receive OSHA 10 training, which helps ground them in basic workplace safety. 
• Supervisors and managers should receive OSHA 30 training, which goes deeper into workplace safety regulations to help them understand what is required of them as employees and leaders. 

The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) also offers specialty training and certifications for industrial coating professionals. 

• NACE Coatings Inspector Certification Program (CIP) equips aspiring inspectors with the knowledge they need to inspect coatings. Level 1 uses non-destructive techniques. Level 2 offers more advanced techniques targeted toward steel and non-steel substrates. Level 3 is the most advanced certification, and recipients are experts in all industrial coatings, including surface preparation, types of coating, inspection, testing, and more. 
• AMPP Protective Coatings Specialist (PCS) Certification helps employees play an important role in industrial coating projects, ensuring all are protected from corrosion and coating failure. The PCS certification builds on the level 2 CIP requirements, as well as the successful completion of the AMPP PCS Certification Exam. AMPP PCS replaces the SSPC PCS certification courses that were previously offered. 

In addition to required training and certifications, you should provide site-specific safety briefings before each industrial coatings project. Call out specific watch points, worksite quirks, and other things your team should be aware of. This will help prep them to watch out and prepare during their time on the site. 

Associates should also be provided with fall protection training if they may be exposed to fall hazards. Proper respiratory protection, including a tight-fitting facepiece respirator, should be provided to prevent the inhalation of hazardous chemicals in both chemical and physical forms. Continuous education on these and general hazard awareness can make your employees safer during work hours.

On-Site Protocols and Use of PPE  

Conduct an OSHA job hazard assessment prior to beginning work. It helps you look at tasks and identify any potential hazards before they occur as you develop industrial coating solutions. Following your assessment, you can take steps to either get rid of the hazard or minimize the risk to an acceptable level.

This assessment will help you determine appropriate on-site protocols to protect your employees. Be sure to include PPE requirements as part of your protocols. They can include the following.

• Respirators are used to prevent the inhalation of hazardous chemicals. Facial hair can impede the effectiveness of respiratory protection, so it’s essential that all facial protection is tightly fitted and sealed to the face for maximum effectiveness.
• Utility or insulated gloves should be worn when coming in contact with hazardous chemicals or power lines. Protective handwear can prevent injuries, including cuts, burns, and irritation. They may be single-use or reusable gloves, depending on the job site. 
• Eye protection should be worn when working with materials that could injure your eyes, including welding, lasers, and more that could produce flying debris.
• Many job sites are loud, so hearing protection should be worn when sound levels exceed acceptable decibel levels. Otherwise, it could cause permanent or temporary damage to your hearing. 

Conduct regular air monitoring to check a job site’s ventilation and dust extraction system. This will help ensure the air quality is acceptable, and you are not inhaling harmful airborne particles while on the job. 

Safety in Coating and Sandblasting Operations  

Coating and sandblasting operations generate a lot of dust due to the nature of the job. As a result, it’s essential that you take extra steps to promote safety during every step of the process. 

1. Conduct regular equipment inspections to ensure that your tools are functioning properly. Check air filtration systems and change filters regularly to ensure you are safe. 
2. Take steps to control dust. Ensure your job site is properly ventilated. If it’s not, it may become difficult to breathe and see, regardless of PPE. 
3. Take elevated work precautions. Make sure that your staff are wearing the correct PPE, including coveralls, helmets, gloves, and more. If there are heights, safety nets should be in place. Prepare for the worst and hopefully you won’t have to use them. 

Each job site should have fire protection equipment available at all times. There should be one fire extinguisher available every 3,000 square feet. This is especially important if you will be conducting any hot work on the premises, like welding, cutting, and soldering. 

Keep an eye on your employees. It can get warm on job sites, so take steps to monitor the air quality and track the health and safety of your employees. If there are injuries, be sure to track them in your OSHA Injury Tracking Application. 

Integrating Safety with Quality Assurance  

One of the biggest struggles in any job is balancing production standards with regulatory compliance. These teams don’t have to be at odds with each other. You both want what’s best for the facility, so do what you can to foster strong partnerships. It goes back to building a safety-first culture.

Before you get started, lay out your pre-job safety plans and detailed reporting protocols. Discuss them with production to identify any potential issues. Listen to what they are telling you, and explain what you are trying to accomplish. You can work together to come up with solutions that meet safety and production needs. 

Quality assurance and quality check teams can work alongside project crews, ensuring work is being done correctly. Safety should be working alongside the teams in a building, not separately. By doing so, all employees will keep workplace safety at the forefront of all they do. 

Conclusion  

At Alpine Painting and Restoration, we take pride in protecting the safety and security of our employees. We maintain safe job sites that meet all OSHA requirements and industry standards, including providing appropriate training, PPE gear, hazard protection, and more. It’s our responsibility to create and maintain safe job sites, and we encourage all companies to do the same.
By prioritizing safety in every phase of their work, you’ll be able to protect the health and well-being of your employees. A safe workplace is a happy workplace, and Alpine Painting and Restoration is the best choice for commercial and industrial painting in Pennsylvania and the Tri-State area. Contact us today or call 215-608-0481 to get started and experience the Alpine difference in your next industrial coating job.

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