Essential Painting PPE: A Guide to Staying Safe

Why Is Personal Protective Equipment Important in Painting?

As we stated earlier, painters are exposed to multiple hazards during the working day. 

For example, some paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause mild to severe respiratory problems and other health risks if inhaled or come into contact with the skin. These include lung irritation, difficulty breathing, dermatitis, and rashes.

Some compounds in solvent-based and oil-based paints are also flammable and can cause fires in confined spaces.

Next, there’s the safety issue posed by working at extreme heights.

Slips or falls from ladders and scaffolding can cause serious injuries and even death. It doesn’t help that spills and airborne particulates from coatings elevate the possibility of such accidents by making work surfaces slippery.

Wearing protective equipment reduces the severity of the injuries that could result from the hazards listed above.

Additionally, OSHA regulations require painters to wear a specified amount of PPE. Failure to do so can result in costly fines and legal fees.

What Are the Must-Have Painting PPE Items?

There are multiple types of painting PPE. However, here are the few we strongly believe every painter must have in the field. Plus, the type of PPE you use solely depends on the nature of the painting job and the type of paint you’re working with.

Here are the essential painting PPEs we’ve identified and their specific applications:

1. Respirators

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Respirators are a special type of mask designed with multiple layers of filters that protect the wearer from dangerous substances such as paint fumes, dust, and paint particles.

Paint respirators are divided into three categories based on the level of respiratory protection provided by their filter.

• Filter class I consists of N95, N99, and N100 filters. These filters filter out 95, 99, and 99.97 percent respectively of airborne particles, respectively. However, they are a poor choice for oil-based paints because they are permeable to oils. You can only use them for basic painting jobs with water-based paints.

• Filter class II comprises R95, R99, and R100 filters. These filters filter out 95, 99, and 99.97 percent of airborne particles, respectively. However, they offer only moderate resistance to oils. They are best used when working with oil-based or water-based paints in an area with maximum ventilation.

• Filter class III comprises P95, P99, and P100 filters. These filters filter out 95, 99, and 99.97 percent of airborne particles and are strongly resistant to oils. Therefore, they can be used when painting with oil-based paints in areas with little or no ventilation.

When picking a respirator, inspect the fit and vision. It should fit snugly to your face for complete protection without obstructing your vision. The straps should allow face pieces and not dig into the skin, so you’re comfortable during prolonged use.

Lastly, purchase full-face respirators instead of disposable masks and half-face respirators so your eyes and face are completely protected from fumes and other harmful chemicals.

Why they’re essential: Respirators protect against paint fumes, dust from sanding, and caustic vapors.

Features to look for: Always choose respirators with N- or P-rated filters and an assigned protection factor (APF) of at least 10. They should also come with a guide for maintaining and cleaning them.

2. Eye protection

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The eyes are among the most sensitive parts of the body. Therefore, it's important to wear appropriate eyewear when working.

Eyewear includes safety glasses, face shields, and goggles. The type you wear depends on your painting job, the paint you’re using, and the environment you’re working in. 

Safety glasses are appropriate for basic jobs or projects involving less caustic chemicals, such as latex-based paints. They can also be worn over prescription glasses.

Goggles, however, are ideal for painting jobs where you will be handling oil- and solvent-based paints containing dangerous chemicals or using spray guns. That’s because they fully protect the eyes and stop harmful substances from coming into contact with them. You can wear them when working in enclosed environments or windy and dusty conditions.

Lastly, a full face shield is best used when painting with sprayers, as they protect your eyes and neck area.

Why they’re essential: They keep harmful substances from your eyes and face area.

Features to look for: Any eye protection PPE you purchase must be rated ANSI Z87.1+ to withstand impact from chemicals, dust, and windborne debris. Ensure the frame and shield are free of scratches and fit snugly to your face without causing damage.

3. Foot protection

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Job sites are usually littered with sharp objects. Plus, some paints contain dangerous chemicals that cause burns and injuries when they come into contact with the skin. That’s why you need PPE for your feet.

When doing basic painting jobs, wear safety shoes with low or high tops to protect your feet. You can also wear shoe covers to protect your regular shoes.

Why it’s essential: Suitable footwear protects the feet from injuries caused by sharp objects and paint spills.

Features to look for: Choose work shoes with anti-slip soles and durable, chemical-resistant materials. If you work around electrical installations or offer electrostatic painting services, choose rubber shoes.

4. Protective clothing

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You need protective clothing to protect your body from chemicals and your clothes from paint stains. This includes coveralls, pantsuits, trousers, and work hoodies.

For maximum comfort and mobility, go for protective clothing with:

• Reinforced crotch and seamless shoulders that prevent rips.

• Elastic bands at the waist and wrist areas.

• Durable material that resists wear and tear.

• Material that allows heat and sweat vapor to flow out without compromising the cloth's protection.

• Open ankle area that sits on work boots.

If you’re working with industrial-grade or commercial paints, get a coverall with a flap that covers the zip area for extra protection.

Why it’s essential: It protects the skin from paints' long- and short-term harmful effects.

Features to look for: Pick protective clothing that ensures maximum comfort and protection. It should also be made from fire-retardant materials to prevent fires from spreading.

5. Ear protection

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High-decibel sounds characterize factories and auto body spray shops. Sometimes, it gets so noisy that you can’t hear the person beside you except when they scream. This can lead to hearing loss.

To prevent this, get quality ear muffs or ear plugs. They should sit securely in the ear or have a large muff that screens out as much noise as possible from the inner ear.

Why it’s essential: Prevents loud noises from damaging your ears.

Features to look for: Pay close attention to noise reduction ratings (NRR); the higher, the better.

6. Gloves

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Gloves keep harmful substances from your hands and protect against cuts and abrasions.

You should always have a stock of nitrile and chemical-resistant gloves in your toolbox. Always inspect the glove before use to ensure there’s no opening through which chemicals can seep and damage the hands.

Why they’re essential: Insulated gloves protect hands from cuts, chemical burns, and other harmful substances. They also make it easier to work in low temperatures.

Features to look for: Ensure the gloves are made of cut-resistant material.

Other PPE for spray-painting jobs

The risks associated with spray-painting jobs are wide-ranging and sometimes unexpected. To be safe, it’s better to wear more PPE than is required rather than leave some parts of your body exposed and risk injury or a long-term health issue.

Beyond the essential PPE we’ve mentioned, there is other safety gear you could employ during spray-painting jobs:

• Fire extinguishers

• Hard hats

• Cones and other signage for cordoning working areas

• Fall-arrest systems

• Full-face hoods

• Emergency shower areas to handle accidental spills

• First aid box with the basic tools for handling burns and minor injuries

What Are the Risks of Neglecting Proper PPE?

Failure to wear the proper PPE exposes painters to numerous work hazards that could injure or kill them. Additionally, projects will stall as employees take time to recuperate from work injuries, infuriating customers who expect you to meet already set deadlines.

It gets even worse.

As a painting contractor or business owner, you arelly required to protect your employees from these safety hazards. Moreover, OSHA’s guidelines mandate employers to pay for and provide PPE for all their workers.

Failing to obey this mandate can cost you thousands in disciplinary fees for each violation, open you to lawsuits from injured employees, and damage your company’s reputation. And you’ll still pay for the employee’s medical fees and workers' compensation.

Quality PPE is a wise investment when you factor in potential medical expenses, lost productivity, reputational damage, and legal liabilities.

How Can You Implement PPE Safety Guidelines in Your Painting Business?

Incorporate PPE training programs into your onboarding process for new employees or those transferring from one department to another. Such programs should be updated periodically to keep up with changes in OSHA’s laws and regulations.

Whenever a new employee finishes the program, pair them up with a more experienced staff member who can guide them through practicing safety procedures in the field. Supervisors should be made aware of the new employee so they watch them closely.

That’s not all.

Host annual refresher PPE safety training programs. Urge employees to study the updated manual beforehand and prepare a presentation of what they’ve learned during the program. You can invite outside professionals to moderate the training and contribute their insights.

Beyond hosting training programs, safety must be part of your company’s culture. No employee should consider safety procedures optional. They should always comply with safety guidelines and hold their team members accountable for doing the same.

Lastly, PPE tools and equipment should be regularly inspected for damage. Schedule periodic maintenance with a proven expert to forestall work accidents.

How Can ServiceTitan Support Safety and Compliance?

ServiceTitan is comprehensive painting company software with tools for every painting company task, including paid and organic marketing, sales, project management, and financial accounting.

It also has the following tools that improve and manage compliance with safety procedures:

1. Compliance tracking made easy

Sometimes, field techs are forced to rush jobs to meet deadlines and proceed to the next project. Therefore, they may forget certain safety procedures. Or leave essential PPE at the office because they are rushing out or lack a complete picture of the customer’s needs.

To be clear, there’s no justification for sacrificing quality and safety procedures for speed. However, employees are more likely to obey safety protocols and consider them mandatory when they use a tool like ServiceTitan’s Field Service App to track their compliance.

The application’s task management feature lets technicians drop real-time updates of every task completed in the field. These updates upload to the cloud and can be immediately viewed from anywhere via the web application.

Technicians can also use the application’s CRM platform to review customers’ property details, signed estimates, previous safety incidents, and a recording of the intake call. This lets them know the safety hazards they should expect on the job site so they can choose the necessary safety gear. 

2. Job safety checklists for every task

ServiceTitan lets users create safety checklists and program them to appear at specific stages in the job cycle.

Technicians review these checklists to ensure they carry the proper PPE, such as harnesses, hard hats, and respirators, for a rooftop painting job requiring working at heights, or gloves, goggles, and respirators for a lead paint removal job involving hazardous materials.

Furthermore, ServiceTitan allows you to maintain a safety culture by creating automated reminders for specific safety-enhancing processes, such as checking tools for wear and tear. This tells employees that your company is serious about obeying safety protocols and encourages them to do the same.

3. Streamlined team communication

ServiceTitan Mobile Application bridges the communication gap between the back-office staff and field technicians. With it, employees can instantly inform each other about potential job hazards, required safety protocols, and new safety guidelines.

CSRs, dispatchers, and managers also use it to check in with technicians and inform them about customers’ special requests so they stock their vans with the required PPE. This helps ensure technicians are always protected from safety hazards.

4. Training and onboarding support

ServiceTitan centralizes all data and notes related to previous service visits. These can be used to create safety training materials for new employees, who can also go through them in their spare time to learn more about potential safety hazards and protocols.

Users can also upload digital safety checklists and guides to the platform so new hires can learn at their own pace and convenience, whether during a break, commute, or at home. 

5. Reducing liability through documentation

Painting contractors may sometimes receive OSHA citations even when no violations occurred, or they were not responsible. An employee who claims they were injured due to their employer’s negligence may also take them to court.

In both cases, the painting contractor must provide accurate documentation to prove their innocence.

ServiceTitan allows you to log safety incident reports, checklists, and training modules. These documents can prove you’re not liable for accidents and safety violations, protecting your company’s reputation.

Over to You

Painting PPE must be a key part of your toolboxes and vans. Train employees to use it and implement strict guidelines about using and storing it to ensure compliance with OSHA’s regulations.

A tool like ServiceTitan can help you create a safe working environment and emphasize the importance of obeying safety regulations.

Book a free demo today to learn how we help painting companies like you to operate efficiently and grow revenue.

ServiceTitan is an all-in-one field service management platform designed with the trades in mind. It has a feature suite containing tools that help painting contractors streamline their operational processes, from safety and compliance to job and inventory management. It is trusted by over 100,000 contractors around the country.