Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/715656
OSHA delays effective date for enforcing anti-retaliation section of injury tracking rule WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Occu- pational Safety and Health Administra- tion (OSHA) is delaying enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions in its new injury and illness tracking rule to conduct additional outreach and pro- vide educational materials and guidance for employers. Originally scheduled to begin August 10, 2016, enforcement will now begin November 1, 2016. Under the new "Rule to Improve Track- ing of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses," OSHA is applying the insights of behav- ioral economics to improve workplace safety and prevent injuries and illnesses. Employers are required to inform work- ers of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses without fear of re- taliation; implement procedures for re- porting injuries and illnesses that are rea- sonable and do not deter workers from reporting; and employers are prohibited from retaliating against workers for re- porting injuries and illnesses. PPG launches coatings R&D hub PITTSBURGH, Pa.—PPG Industries has unveiled its newly completed re- search and development facility in Alli- son Park, Pa., which is just outside of Pittsburgh, home to its global head- quarters. The new Coatings Innovation Center (CIC) represents a $7.8 million investment into science and technology activities. Upgrades to the facility in- clude increased lab and testing space as well as equipment improvements that expand the company's technical capa- bilities in R&D for paint and coatings. The facility improvements are meant to enhance PPG's resources for creating and testing sealants, adhesives, and pre- treatment solutions; simulating the en- vironments where customers use its au- tomotive and industrial paints and coat- ings; and training distributors, painters, and collision-repair professionals to suc- cessfully use the company's automotive refinish coatings. The renovated coatings application center provides two robotic spray booths with environmental controls for variable temperature, humidity, and airflow. Space has been converted to labs for synthesis, adhesives and sealants, and pretreatment solutions. A renovated 9,000-square-foot automo- tive refinish training center now pro- vides two new spray booths, a prep sta- tion, upgraded equipment, and two large classrooms. IFS Coatings launches new architectural color card GAINESVILLE, Tex.—IFS Coatings has launched a new architectural color card that features 26 colors, including 13 solid shades, 7 sparkling metallics, and 6 anodic style effects. Each color is available in AAMA-compliant technol- ogy: IFS 300SP complies with AAMA 2603, IFS 400SD complies with AAMA 2604, and IFS 500FP meets and exceeds the performance require- ments of AAMA 2605. The 26 archi- tectural coatings are standard, but the company also allows architects and de- signers to craft custom colors to match a color or create a unique hue. Dow to reduce acrylate capacity by 20 percent MIDLAND, Mich.—Multinational chemical corporation The Dow Chem- ical Co. has announced that its Dow Performance Monomers business unit will be reducing acrylate capacity by 20 percent at its Deer Park Operations in Deer Park, Tex. Acrylates are used in a variety of applications, including adhe- sives, coatings, inks, plastics, and super- absorbent products. In addition to the shutdown of acrylic capacity, other actions are being under- taken to address current market condi- tions. The company plans to optimize turnaround and structural costs and will explore co-producer supply agreements. Dow expects these actions will have an impact on both near- and long-term business. Tool estimates respirator cartridge life WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Na- tional Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the US federal agency responsible for conducting re- search and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related in- jury and illness, has revised its computer tool for calculating the service life of air- purifying respirator cartridges. MultiVapor is a desktop software appli- cation for estimating breakthrough times and service lives of air-purifying respirator cartridges manufactured to remove toxic organic vapors from breathed air. A breakthrough time is the time following the first and continuous use of a cartridge after which the user of the cartridge could be exposed to a se- lected concentration of a harmful vapor. This is the consequence of the cartridge being used up. Service life is the breakthrough time with a safety fac- tor applied. The MultiVapor tool can also be used for larger filters and for car- bon beds of any size prepared for lab studies. Updated in January 2016, MultiVapor 2.2.4 has 66 new compounds in its li- brary, including toluene diisocyanate (TDI), methyl dipphenylene isocyanate (MDI) and Styrene. In addition, the typical organic vapor (OV) cartridge parameters are now more representative of commonly used cartridges. They were obtained by averaging three popu- lar cartridge parameters. The tool is in- tended to help personnel set changeout schedules, but is not a substitute for reg- ulatory requirements or professional judgments. Theme park faces paint shop fines WASHINGTON, D.C.—Paint shop employees at a Connecticut theme park allegedly were exposed to chemical, burn, and respiratory hazards, accord- ing to a recent statement from the fed- eral agency that oversees worker safety. The Lake Compounce Family Theme Park in Bristol, Conn., faces $70,000 in fines for 18 serious violations found during an inspection by the Occupa- tional Safety and Health Administra- tion (OSHA). The agency also issued one other-than-serious violation with- out issuing a corresponding fine. In addition to allegedly exposing work- ers to spray coatings without proper protection, the theme park also al- 2 POWDER COATING, August 2016 UPDATE:Industry