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 unit, consult owners manual and observe all warnings.
If you have been injected or injured – or even think you have been:
DO NOT WAIT! DO THE FOLLOWING IMMEDIATELY:
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.