There are quite a few precautions that employees of industrial facilities should take to protect themselves if they need to apply powder coatings. Continue reading to learn what these precautions are.

1. Only remove the respirator after every other piece of safety gear has been taken off

Staff members who are instructed to apply powder coatings will always be given several pieces of safety gear (including coveralls, goggles and a respirator). This safety gear is designed to prevent the wearer from breathing in particles of the powder coatings and to stop the particles from settling on their skin or getting into their eyes. It is extremely important for staff members who have finished using the powder coating chemicals and equipment to keep their respirators on whilst they take off their coveralls and safety goggles.

The reason for this is as follows; at this point, their goggles and coveralls will most likely be covered in a fairly thick layer of powder coating particles. If they are pull off their goggles or shake off their coveralls quite roughly after they have already removed their respirator, there is a chance that they could put themselves at risk of being poisoned.

For example, if the person applying the powder coatings removes their respirator before they have taken off and disposed of their coveralls, some of the powder coating dust on those coveralls may become airborne, and that person could then breathe in those particles and become sick as a result of this. As such, it is important for employees who perform this type of work to remove their safety gear carefully and to only take off their respirator after their coveralls and goggles have been properly disposed of.

2. Keep the area around the powder coating equipment neat and tidy

It is also vital to ensure that the area in which the powder coating equipment is located is kept neat and tidy. The reason for this is as follows; when powder coating equipment is being used, there is a relatively high risk of an explosion or fire occurring.

If this type of incident occurs, and there are discarded pieces of refuse or random pieces of inventory scattered around the floor near the equipment, the chances of the explosion or fire getting out of control and spreading to other parts of the building will be much higher, as these items on the floor will fuel the flames.

As such, employees who work in this area should get into the habit of tidying it up before they start operating the powder coating machinery.

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