Tag Archives: OSHA

4 Things You Need to Know About Respirators

Be prepared with these safety tips from the experts at 3M

Respirators are important. You know that well as a painter. After all, a properly chosen respirator can help keep you breathing easily even when you’re surrounded by paint chemicals and airborne particles. It’s not just you, either; more and more people have learned about the value of respirators since the pandemic.

“Since COVID-19, many more people know what N95s are,” says Jason Lunn, Application Engineer at 3M. “Plus, many people now understand the difference between a mask and a respirator—that it comes down to the fact that NIOSH-approved respirators are designed to form a tight seal to the face, while masks are not and can have gaps around the edges.”

But there’s still plenty of things many people—even veteran painting contractors—don’t know about respirator safety. Lunn believes it’s because most people were never taught it.

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Free Resources for Professional Painters: Ladder Safety and Fall Prevention

Painters are exposed to several occupational risk factors for falling. What can you do to minimize the risk? In this article, we list a number of free industry resources that are available to help inform you, train your team and keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s focus while on the job.
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Are You an Exterior Expert? Here’s How to Raise Your Game

The time is right for exterior painting, especially with interior painting demand down due to COVID-19. If you’re not an exterior specialist, this article will give you the building blocks to elevate your outdoor painting game, from proper surface prep and when to prime to topcoat sheen, applicator options and cleanup.
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