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If a surgeon’s scalpel could talk, it would tell stories of the
intricate procedures and fascinating anatomies of the people
it helps to heal. It would say that the practice of surgery
doesn’t always save lives but the odds improve if the surgeon
is trained and careful.
If a painter’s ladder could talk, it would tell stories of the
colorful processes and fascinating structures it helps to protect
with coatings. It would say that the practice of climbing heights
doesn’t always occur safely but the odds improve dramatically
if the painter is trained and careful.
I happen to know a talking ladder and it told me this story:
Many years ago there was a painter, young, tall and lanky – just
getting started in the trade. On a windy spring day he extended
my rails until all 40 feet of my structure touched against the
building. He proceeded to climb until he was standing on my
top rung where he reached above his head toward a peak with
paintbrush in hand. In retrospect, he would say that if he had
kept still when the wind gust came he would not have fallen.
But he panicked and shifted just enough for me to catch the
wind and lift off from the building. When he woke he could see
only from his right eye. He was lying in a fetal position, his left
side completely submerged, including his left eye and half his
face in fresh sod that lay atop a slurry of six inches of mud. His
boss saw it happen and expressed surprise when the young
man stood up.
“Why don’t you go home now? Take the rest of the day off,” he
said. The painter walked to his car, got behind the wheel, half
man, half mud-encrusted creature, and drove home.
If this story were followed by an essay test, the teacher would
have you write a summary of all the avoidable mistakes that
were made before, during and after the fall of the painter.
The good news is that this is not a test; it is an answer sheet
comprised of the actions of a couple very informed painting
contractors, both of whom won gold safety awards from PDCA
(Painting and Decorating Contractor’s of America) in 2008.
It turns out that companies that win safety awards share some
things in common. According to Joe O’Connor, President
of Intec, a safety - training, publishing and consulting firm
and developer of PDCA’s premier web-based safety system
available to all painting contractor members called esafetyline,
New Standard, New Attitude, New Concern
studies have shown there is a common theme in companies
with safety success:
1. Employee involvement with management support
2. Hazard analysis such as job inspections
3. Hazard analysis that leads to hazard prevention
and control
4. Training of supervisors and others to know their role
with regard to safety
A sound example of the above characteristics comes from
Joel Hamberg, owner of Joel Hamberg Painting in Portland,
Oregon. Besides residential and commercial paint work, his
company is becoming more involved with wood finishing.
One of their recent jobs has been restoring wood walls and
antique carvings at the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant
using water-borne products. “We want to be a total green
company,” says Hamberg. A side benefit to this is the reduced
requirements for respiratory protection. “Typically there is no
need for a full face mask,” he says. “Some jobs require a half
face respirator and some just require the particle mask with
the breathable valve.”
Hamberg adds, “It’s not like you can take these waterborne
products and eat them – they’re still chemicals. But getting
away from the combustible products helps your safety.” In
other areas, Hamberg sets the example by maintaining a meticulously
neat office and work vehicle, and a clean shop that
sets the standard all the way down to the jobsite as to just
what his expectations are. He feels this puts everyone thinking
on the same page because they see that worn airless hoses
are disposed of, ladders are cut up for recycling and vehicles
are inspected.
Hamberg pulls from a variety of sources including PDCA and
his workmen’s compensation carrier as well as OSHA to provide
resource material for his safety program.
The benefits of a well maintained safety program can be far
reaching. Sam Scaturro, who is certified to teach his painters
the OSHA 10- and 30-hour course, is Operations Manager for
Alpine Painting and Sandblasting in Paterson, New Jersey. His
company is a 35-year-old family business that does commercial
and industrial painting, sandblasting and lead abatement,
high work and specialty finishing, including an in-house spray
booth and a sandblasting booth. With an annual revenue of
New Standard: OSHA1918.106 Payment for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The standard dictates who pays
for what. For example, employers are responsible to pay for PPE with the exception of replacing abused or lost PPE.
Employers do not have to pay for non-specialty protective footwear or non-specialty prescription safety eyewear that
the employer permits to be worn outside the workplace. See www.osha.gov for details.
New Attitude: Joe O’Connor of Intec says OSHA continues to encourage their partnerships with industry and have
changed their perspective from strict enforcement to alliances with companies in order to get voluntary compliance.
New Concerns: O’Connor says OSHA is focusing on emergency response ever since natural disasters like Hurricane
Katrina. Employers are expected to have programs to respond to a disaster that address such issues as evacuation, the
use of fire extinguishers, and employee responsibility to fight fires.
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