Safety

Airless spray equipment is an important tool for the professional painter. But as with any tool, following safety guidelines is part of knowing how to use it. Be sure that you and all members of your crew that will HAVE ANY CONTACT AT ALL with a paint sprayer understand and follow safety and operating instructions.

DO NOT EXCEED THE MAXIMUM WORKING PRESSURE ON ALL COMPONENTS ON YOUR SPRAY EQUIPMENT!
High-pressure fluid from spray or leaks can penetrate the skin. If not promptly and properly treated, the injury can cause permanent disability or amputation. If you are injected, see a physician immediately. Do not treat as a simple cut.

Always use a tip safety guard for added protection against injection. The tip guard provides protection against injection but does not prevent it. Never cut off tip guard! Always engage gun safety lock when the gun is not in operation. Before servicing the unit, consult owners manual and observe all warnings.

Never attempt to install, change or clean tip or safety guard without first doing the following:

Set trigger safety in a locked position.
Shut off the sprayer and in addition, unplug electrical cord or air supply.
Release fluid pressure from the entire system, from the pump to the spray gun tip.
If you have been injected or injured – or even think you have been.

DO NOT WAIT! DO THE FOLLOWING IMMEDIATELY:
Go to the nearest emergency room or medical center IMMEDIATELY.
Inform the physician and all medical staff that you suspect a high-pressure injection injury.
Provide the medical information below and any medical information provided with your equipment to the medical staff and physician.
Provide as much detail as possible regarding the paint(s) or coating(s) involved in your injury.

CRITICAL INFORMATION FOR ALL MEDICAL PERSONNEL:
Injection in the skin is a serious traumatic injury. IT IS IMPORTANT TO TREAT THE INJURY SURGICALLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Do not delay treatment to research toxicity. Toxicity is a concern with some exotic coatings injected directly into the bloodstream.

Consultation with a plastic surgeon or a reconstructive hand surgeon may be advisable.

The seriousness of the wound depends on where the injury is on the body, whether the substance hit something on its way in and deflected causing more damage, and many other variables including skin microflora residing in the paint or gun which are blasted into the wound. If the injected paint contains acrylic latex and titanium dioxide that damage the tissue’s resistance to infection, bacterial growth will flourish. The treatment that physicians recommend for an injection injury to the hand includes immediate decompression of the closed vascular compartments of the hand to release the underlying tissue distended by the injected paint, judicious wound debridement, and immediate antibiotic treatment.