Indianapolis, IA - Apr. 14, 2006 - The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) estimates that there are over 2,000 spray-on bed liner franchises nationwide, with about 10,000 workers. An OSHA sampling of 132 inspections during a one-year period from 2004-05 found that 46% of the operations exceeded the permissible limit of 0.2 milligrams per cubic meter of air for methylenebis phenyl isocyanate (MDI). Many of the operations had improper ventilation, respiratory protection, personal protective equipment, and hazard communications. OSHA found that fairly minimal changes were needed to bring the operations into compliance. These observations were presented at an OSHA seminar on MDI exposure at the SEMA Offroad Show in Indianapolis.

The agency recommended several control measures to specifically address MDI exposure issues in spray-on bed lining operations, including:

• Conduct all spray operations inside a ventilated paint spray booth
• Maintain air velocities at a minimum of 100 feet per minute in the booth
• Utilize local exhaust ventilation when spraying in dead air spaces
• Keep operators outside of the truck bed during spraying
• Use a spray extension handle to keep the nozzle away from the breathing zone
• Set the spray pressure and temperature to the minimum level needed
• Wear a face shield or goggles when half mask respirators are used
• Wear gloves and coveralls when prepping, spraying, and cleaning up
• Use tools such as spatulas when mixing the materials

There is much more MDI information posted on SEMA's Government Affairs website, including links to OSHA's rules. For details, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

STK, LLC
STK is a manufacturer of pick-up truck bedliners and hard tonneau covers located in Uniontown, PA. STK specializes in quality thermoformed plastic drop-in bedliners.