![[logo] US EPA](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509230852im_/http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Auto Refinish Project Best Practices Kit
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Auto Refinish Project Best Practices Kit Table of Contents (PDF) (4 pp, 180K)
- Project Information
- Sanding
- Solvent Wipe Down
- Paint Mixing
- Spray Painting
- Spray Gun Cleaning
- Health and Safety Management
- Working with Isocyanates
Project Information
- Caring for the Environment in the Collision Repair Industry (PDF) (2 pp, 1.6MB, About PDF) , by Chet Elia,
Director, Collision Division, AASP-PA, Pennsylvania Automotive & Insider News, February 2001
The U.S. EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) Automotive Refinishing Partnership website.
This website provides information on DfE's automotive refinishing project. EPA publications regarding the automotive refinishing project including factsheets and technical documents are available on the website. Information on best practices, health and safety, ventilation, and personal protective equipment for auto refinishing shops are also available at this website.
The Coordinating Committee for Auto Repair (CCAR) - Greenlink Virtual Shop website.This website is a joint product of DfE and CCAR. The website presents a virtual automotive refinishing shop. Helpful information about health and safety and best practices are provided for specific activities that take place in a automotive refinishing shop.
The Small Business Environmental HomepageThis website provides information on compliance assistance, funding assistance, and pollution prevention for small businesses. Contact information for small business assistance programs is provided for each state. Recent news and events related to small businesses and environmental issues are posted and publications, videos, and factsheets are made available on the website.
State and Environmental Agencies and Small Business Assistance ProgramsThis web page provides links to state environmental agencies, pollution prevention and compliance assistance, and small business assistance websites for each state.
Sources of more information on Auto Refinishing Best Practices (PDF) (7 pp, 205K)Sanding
- Sanding Best Practices Checklist
(EPA 744-F-03-006)
PDF version of Sanding Best Practices Checklist - Vacuum Sanders: Reducing Dust and Hazardous Air Pollutants - Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 251K)
- Vacuum Sander Manufacturers/Suppliers | PDF Version (1 pg, 120K)
- NIOSH Hazard Controls: Control of Dust From Sanding in Autobody Repair Shop
Solvent Wipe Down
- Solvent Wipe Down Best Practices Checklist
(EPA 744-F-03-007) | PDF Version (3 pp, 151K) - Prep Station Manufacturers/Suppliers | PDF Version (1 pg, 121K)
Paint Mixing
-
Paint Mixing Best Practices Checklist | PDF Version (5 pp, 182K)
(EPA 744-F-03-008) - Best Practices for the Paint Mixing Room (PDF) (5 pp, 182K)
(EPA 744-F-00-003) - Breathing Easy: Ensuring Proper Ventilation of Paint Mixing Rooms In Auto Refinish (PDF) (4 pp, 222K)
(EPA 744-F-02-008) - Prefabricated Paint Mixing Room Manufacturers/Suppliers | PDF Version (1 pg, 121K)
Spray Painting
- Spray Painting Best Practices Checklist | PDF Version (3 pp, 154K)
(EPA 744-F-03-009) - Using Waterborne Basecoats in Collision Repair Shops: A Case Study (PDF) (4 pp, 284.3K)
(EPA 744-F-08-003)
May 2008 - HVLP Spray Guns Best Practices Checklist | PDF Version (2 pp, 137K)
(EPA 744-F-03-012) - STAR: Improve Your Spray Application Techniques
(Iowa Waste Reduction Center, University of Northern Iowa) - Example of Cost Savings Using an HVLP Spray Gun | PDF Version (2 pp, 167K)
- Best Practices for Auto Refinishers When Spray Painting | PDF Version (1 pg, 291K)
(EPA 744-F-00-002) - Spray Booth Filters: The Key to Quality Jobs and Clean Emissions (PDF) (2 pp, 221K) (EPA 744-F-08-001)
- User Friendly Supplied-Air Respirators: Options for Auto Refinishers | PDF Version (2 pp, 421K)
(EPA 744-F-00-006) - Supplied-Air Respirators in Auto Shops: Get the Best Protection| PDF Version (2 pp, 984K)
(EPA 744-F-00-007) - HVLP Spray Guns: Cost-effective, environment-friendly technology | PDF Version (1 pg, 37K)
(EPA 744-F-00-004) - HVLP Spray Guns in the Auto Refinishing Shop: A Success Story | PDF Version (4 pp, 100 K)
(EPA 744-F-00-014) - Choosing the Right Gloves for Painting Cars | PDF Version (2 pp, 92K)
(EPA 744-F-00-005) - Spray Booth Manufacturers/Suppliers | PDF Version (1 pg, 18K)
Spray Gun Cleaning
- Spray Gun Cleaning Best Practices Checklist | PDF Version (3 pp, 155K)
(EPA 744-F-03-010) - Automatic Gun Cleaner Manufacturers/Suppliers | PDF Version (1 pg, 121K)
Health and Safety Management
- A Self-Evaluation Checklist of Best Practices for Auto Refinish Shops and Schools (PDF) (18 pp, 374K)
EPA 744-F-07-006
The self-evaluation checklist is a tool to help you evaluate current practices and technologies in your facility and identify areas where you should make improvements to protect your workers (or students) and surrounding communities from isocyanates, organic solvents, hexavlent chromium, lead, and other hazardous air pollutants generated during refinishing activities. The checklist covers five key operations: surface preparation, paint mixing, spray painting, spray gun cleaning, and health and safety management. - Health and Safety Management Best Practices Checklist | PDF Version (2 pp, 139K)
(EPA 744-F-03-011) - Other Auto Refinishing Shop Management Practices | PDF Version (1 pg, 96K)
- Managing Worker Health and Safety: An Auto Refinish Shop Success Story (PDF) (4 pp, 1.6MB)
(EPA 744-F-00-017) - Respiratory Protection Program for Auto Refinish Shops (PDF) (42 pp, 350K)
(EPA 744-F-02-010) - Information on Auto Refinishing Training Programs and Workshops | PDF Version (1 pg, 95K)
- Protective Glove Manufacturers/Suppliers | PDF Version (1 pg, 22K)
- Respirator Manufacturers/Suppliers | PDF Version (2 pp, 135K)
Working with Isocyanates
- Video: Working Safely with Polyurethane Paints (Bayer Industrial Chemicals Division, 1996)
Available through the Bayer Company's Customer Center for Automotive Coating Adhesives and Sealants.
Bayer Company's phone # (412)777-2000 - Safe Application of Polyurethane Automotive Finishes (Bayer Industrial Chemicals Division, November 1998)
Bayer Company's phone # (412)777-2000 - Isocyanates: Questions and Answers About Use and Handling (Bayer Corporation, Product Safety and Regulatory Affairs Department, January 1999)
Bayer Company's phone # (412)777-2000 - Desmodur® N: Hexamethylene Diisocyanate Based Polyisocyanates (Bayer Corporation, January 1999)
Bayer Company's phone # (412)777-2000 - Request for Assistance in Preventing Asthma and Death from Diisocyanate Exposure (CDC NIOSH Alert, March 1996)