Spray Painting Efficiency Training and the New NESHAP
(National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants)
Meet the new environmental regulations, reduce your environmental footprint and save money!!
The Training
The Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) is currently providing Spray Technique Analysis and Research (STAR®) and NESHAP training to painters and paint instructors. The STAR® program was developed by the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) at the University of Northern Iowa and is dedicated to improving the overall efficiency of manual spray coating operations by enhancing the techniques of spray technicians. STAR® addresses:
- The importance of gun adjustments to achieve proper air and fluid pressure.
- The importance of good equipment maintenance.
- Calibration and use of the LaserTouch™ technology.
- Proper spray gun distance and orientation.
- Spray overlap and edge painting techniques to achieve maximum efficiency.
New Requirements
On January 9th of 2008, the EPA’s new 6H NESHAP Area Source rules for surface coatings became law, with compliance required by January 10th, 2011. This law is specifically applicable to the collision repair industry, but if you apply surface coatings to metal or plastic substrates it may very likely apply to you as well. The 6H NESHAP includes recordkeeping requirements, new filter requirements, and both classroom and hands-on spray efficiency technique training. The required NESHAP training elements are met by the STAR® program.2
Does this Apply to Me?
The 6H NESHAP addresses five metals that are hazardous air pollutants. These metals are chromium (CR), cadmium (CD), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn). If you spray any coating once a year that contains one of the five target metals, you are subject to these regulations. If you are in the collision repair industry you are automatically subject to these regulations, even if you do not spray coatings containing the target metals. However, if you certify your coatings free of these metals you can apply for an exemption.
Other Training Benefits
In addition to compliance with the new regulation, other benefits of this training include:
- Health Impacts: Toxics, solvents and isocyanates can cause adverse health impacts such as enlarged lungs, irregular heartbeat, kidney failure, and nerve damage. This training can help reduce short and long-term exposure, improving employee safety and possible worker's compensation claim issues.
- Material Savings: Increased transfer efficiency will reduce material usage. Research in the collision repair industry has shown that the STAR program has results in an average savings of $4,200 per year per employee in 1996 dollars. An industrial facility can save as much as $40,000 or more annually. Even the most experienced painters have been shown to improve their efficiency by as much as 25% through increased attention to application techniques.
- Environmental Impacts: Reduced emissions can result in cleaner air and better community standing. Also, improved spray efficiency generally reduces the amount of hazardous waste generated.
- Reduced Environmental Liabilities: By reducing the pollutants emitted you can reduce your liability and potentially reduce regulatory burden and/or permit costs.
In 2009, STAR training:
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Take advantage of this opportunity!
Ken Grimm, PPRC's Industry Outreach Lead, has completed the IWRC's Train-the-Trainer course in addition to his nearly 20 years of industrial and automotive paint experience. Ken has provided train-the-trainer training to more than two dozen Community and Technical Colleges in the Pacific Northwest, as well as training to more than 100 collision repair shops and industrial facilities.
To schedule a training date, please contact the project manager.
Ken Grimm, PPRC, STAR Project Manager: (206) 352-2050 or kgrimm@pprc.org.
| "The state-of-the-art equipment and training have enhanced the training our instructors provide by creating parameters that are more exacting and easier to identify and measure than the common 'eye and feel' method. The industry will benefit greatly as the students enter industry using more efficient methods. STAR not only saves considerable cost, but it also expands the awareness and concern for the environment by saving precious resources." - Karen Johnson, Dean for Trade and Industry, Renton Technical College |
| "I’ve worked with Ken Grimm of PPRC’s STAR program to host five different trainings over the last three years for auto body shops and collision repair programs at six different colleges and high schools around Idaho. The STAR program has provided a huge value to Idaho’s auto body industry, helping shops save money and materials, and comply with federal regulations and sending painters out into the workforce educated on spray efficiency techniques and other best practices." - Joanna Pierce, Pollution Prevention Coordinator, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality |
Media Release
- NW non-profit helps regional surface coaters achieve reductions, compliance with training - (June 2010)
In The News
- Add a 'green' coat to your car: The Olympian (August, 2009)
Additional Information Resources
Surface Coating NESHAP (Subpart HHHHHH) Information
A copy of the regulation can be downloaded from the EPA here.
A 6H NESHAP fact sheet can be downloaded from the EPA here.
A summary brochure can be downloaded from the EPA here.
You can find assorted compliance assistance resources here.
IOWA Waste Reduction Center Resources
LaserPaint® is a laser guided device designed to assist painters develop or refine their skills keeping consistent, accurate spray gun to part distance. For more information, or to purchase a LaserPaint® device, visit their site here.
The Auto Body Surface Coating Guide is a free best practices manual for collision repair shops and shop owners. Download the file here.
The IWRC has developed two software products, one designed to help a facility track paint and solvent usage and the other designed to help a facility track paint emissions and sprayable material usage. The software tracks on a on a rolling twelve-month basis and is available for free download.
VirtualPaint is a training system, ideal for companies that do not want to shut down facilities and waste coating and materials for the sole purpose of training. The VirtualPaint is an effective training system that requires no excessive time, no use of coating or materials and does not produce any waste or air emissions. For more information, visit their Web site here.
USEPA Collision Repair Campaign
The Environmental Protection Agency has a large collection of information and tools designed to help collision repair save money while coming into compliance with the new rules.
The EPA Region 10 Collision Repair Campaign site is another large collection of information and tools, with special sections for businesses, vendors, regulators and technical schools.
EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program has an Automotive Refinishing Partnership program with excellent resources, ranging from health and safety information to best practices for everything from mixing rooms to prep areas to spray booths.
The collection of DfE’s best practices can be found here.
Also in partnership with EPA’s DfE program is the Ccar virtual shop, an interactive way to look at areas in a typical collision repair shop. Click on a room, and then click on various parts of the room to see suggestions for improvement.
California EPA Air Resources Board STAR® Project
STAR® Training Project overview is here. And check out the project results.
Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
This site has a comprehensive, plain-language manual to help shops learn about and implement various pollution prevention strategies and best management practices.
Environmental Results Programs
Oregon's Eco-Biz program has both web-based information and technical assistance providers to help shops achieve Eco-Biz certification.
The Eco-Biz toolkit is a comprehensive collection of factsheets and checklists to help collision repair shops address environmental issues in a manageable way.
Washington State Department of Ecology has a self-certification checklist for the auto body industry. Download the list here.
The State of Rhode Island's Department of Environmental Management has an auto body certification program and their Web site contains numerous PowerPoint presentations, fact sheets and more.