Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is a must in collision repair settings, where technicians are exposed to potentially harmful fumes and particulates on a regular basis.
Scott Shinn, advanced technical service specialist in 3M’s Personal Safety Division, and Jason Scharton, 3M’s global industry relations leader for the collision repair industry, spoke about the latest advancements in PPE and what shops can do to keep their teams safe and productive on a recent episode of The Collision Vision podcast, driven by Autobody News and hosted by Cole Strandberg.
The Critical Role of PPE in Collision Repair
“People are really our biggest asset in any industry, but certainly in collision repair,” Scharton said. “And we want them working for us for a long time. We want them to be safe and healthy as they work. And we want to make it a pleasant working environment wherever possible.”
Scharton pointed out an environment like a collision repair shop has a lot of potential for dangerous situations. The preference is to prevent one from happening, but PPE is the “last line of defense” in the event it does.
Shinn said some of the more common hazards technicians may encounter -- welding fumes, paint vapors, and particulates from grinding and sanding – affect the respiratory system.
It’s critical that shops inspect and identify those hazards, and then pick the PPE that will be “right for not only the hazard but for the worker,” he added. “Because if it doesn't fit the worker, they tend not to wear it when they need to wear it, and that's where injuries can occur.”
Scharton said in the more than 20 years he has been in collision repair shops, he has seen a “dramatic change in attitude” about PPE.
“It used to be, if I walked into a shop and I was wearing safety glasses, I was probably the only one,” he said. “Now, safety glasses are almost universal. Everybody's wearing them.”
More technicians are using respirators, cut-proof gloves and ear protection as well.
“It has become much more accepted, much more normal, to have these things in place, rather than maybe the ‘tough guy’ image of 15 to 20 years ago where, ‘I don't need that stuff. I'm already missing three fingers’…and those are badges of honor,” Scharton said. “Now people are really taking care of themselves. And I see that trend continuing.”
The shift in attitude is partly attributed to an aging technician workforce wanting to take better care of themselves now that they are growing older, but also to younger technicians starting with those habits already in place, Scharton said.
Younger people are also looking for employers that care about safety, he said.
“They want to work in an environment where it's brightly lit, it's not dirty, it's a comfortable temperature,” Scharton said. “They want to see that their employer is taking care of them. And the PPE that is there for the workers to use is one of those key things that they start to look at.”
Scharton said he has seen job ads for collision repair shops that tout the type of PPE offered. “It's become very much an attractor,” he said.
Advancements in Collision Repair PPE
Shinn said 3M designs all of its PPE for a wide range of industries and applications. The company is always looking at improving how PPE functions, making it not just more protective, but also easier and more comfortable for the wearer to put on and use.
He offered two examples of recent developments that can be used in collision repair: an intrinsically safe powered air purifying respirator that can be used in potentially explosive environments like a paint booth without risking a spark, and a new welding helmet with a curved auto-darkening filter -- the first of its kind -- that provides the welder with a better field of view, especially in tight spaces.
Scharton said 3M is also working to improve seemingly basic PPE, like safety glasses, developing flexible hinges that create a better fit, no matter who is wearing them.
Shinn said one trend in PPE is “connected solutions,” that use technology, like a mobile phone app or wearable device, to track metrics and suggest adjustments.
“There's a big emphasis now at the federal and a lot of state levels with heat stress concerns,” Shinn said. “How do we measure heat stress on an individual or warning signs before they actually have any adverse health effects? Sensor technology is something that people are starting to investigate with wearable [devices].”
Scharton said developing technology could also be used to eliminate hazards, like using engineering controls to capture dust at the source before it can be breathed in by technicians.
“Depending on what else is going on in the shop, you still may need a respirator, but it changes the dynamics of how often you'd need to change that or what type you may need,” he said.
Challenges in Adopting PPE Policies
Scharton said the first thing a shop should do is a detailed assessment of hazards present, and then figure out how to address them, taking into account safety regulations at the state and federal levels.
Shops need to engage employees in that process, he said, and then create a “culture of safety” by reinforcing its importance on a regular basis.
“It needs to be every day that we're talking about it. It takes an extra step, as a management team, to make sure everybody is not only being safe, but understands why it's important to be safe,” Scharton said.
“If the workers are involved in the selection process, it greatly increases the likelihood of adoption,” Shinn added. “Let them select product that's going to work for them.”
Shinn said the biggest mistake he sees in shops is simply a lack of use of PPE.
“There’s lots of reasons why somebody would remove the respirator, safety glasses, face shield,” Shinn said, including being uncomfortable or restricting the ability to complete tasks.
“It’s on the shop owners to watch out for this type of behavior,” Shinn said. “Get on the shop floor. Investigate if injuries are happening, why they're happening, and reinforce the need to wear PPE 100% of the time when it's required to be worn.”
Scharton said 3M representatives are extensively trained before being sent out to visit shops, so they can act as a consultant on the need for and use of PPE, and help a shop complete a hazard assessment.
Shinn said OSHA frequently looks first at a shop’s hazard assessment. “That's one of the more common deficiencies we see across all industries,” he added.
Companies often “jump right into personal protective equipment,” when in reality, “that should be the last resort. There's other controls that are more effective,” Shinn said, including engineering controls, local exhaust ventilation or using a less hazardous chemical.
“Those should be investigated and implemented when feasible,” Shinn said. “Only then should you be looking at personal protective equipment, which, that said, is still a very critical part of the overall safety program.”
Shop Liability
Shop owners are liable for everything that happens in the shop, Shinn said, including PPE.
“Regardless of whether the worker is following their program, not following the program, wearing PPE, not wearing PPE, there's some extent of liability there, if something does happen,” Shinn said.
It comes down to teaching and reinforcing the importance of using it. “Next time you see [an employee using PPE] properly, give them the kudos, give them some type of reward,” he said.
“There's no getting away from liability. That's part of being a business owner. But there's a lot of steps you can take to minimize that liability,” Shinn added.
EV PPE
EV high-voltage battery technology “is still, we'll say, somewhat volatile,” Shinn said. “There's certain issues with overheating, fires.”
Scharton said as new technology develops in one industry, 3M probably already has PPE to address it that it created for another industry.
“The issues [with EVs] are new to the collision repair industry. They aren't necessarily new to the world,” he said. “Protecting ourselves from high voltage, fire suppression, those sorts of things are happening in other industries, and solutions exist. It's just making sure that collision repair shops understand what those solutions are, where they can get them and what's available.”
Strandberg asked Shinn and Scharton what advice they would give to a shop owner about investing in PPE and the long-term safety of their employees.
“Realistically, [PPE] is such a minor percentage of what a shop owner spends. They could double the spending and it still wouldn't be a blip on the radar of on anybody's books,” Scharton said. “Go the extra mile and get the PPE that your technicians find comfortable, that they want to wear. Give them some sense of choice as a group on what to bring in, because that's going to help it move forward.
“And ultimately that's what's going to shine through when people come to visit your shop, either as customers or as future employees,” Scharton added. “They're going to see how comfortable, safe, healthy, happy everybody else is in the shop and are going to want to be there because of it.”
Shinn emphasized again the importance of involving employees in the safety process start to finish, starting with the hazard assessment -- “Nobody knows the hazards of the job better than the technician performing the job” -- and then selecting the PPE.
“Your chance of success greatly increases,” Shinn said. “We want to keep workers healthy and happy, and healthy and happy workers are typically more productive, so it's a win-win.”
Abby Andrews