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POWDER COATING, February 2017 11 tion showed that certain plant employ- ees had been exposed to silica dust at amounts up to 14 times greater than permissible exposure limits. Extended exposure to silica dust can leave workers at risk of developing silicosis, a dis- abling, nonreversible, and sometimes fatal lung disease. It may also cause other nonmalignant respiratory dis- eases, lung cancer, and kidney disease. The whistleblower investigation found the company violated the antidiscrimina- tion provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act when it terminated the former plant manager. In addition to paying the back wages and damages, under this whistleblower settlement, York Building Products is required to provide supervisors with antiretaliation training at the location where the termi- nated employee worked. The company must also post the OSHA poster entitled "Job Safety and Health, It's The Law." Employers are prohibited from retaliat- ing against employees who raise con- cerns about health and safety hazards in the workplace to the employer or the government. Employees who believe that they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conducted may file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor for an investigation by OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program. SSPC releases publication update PITTSBURGH, Pa.—A guide for lighting in industrial coating operations has been updated under the direction of SSPC: The Society for Protective Coat- ings. SSPC-Guide 12, "Guide to Illumi- nation of Industrial Coatings Projects," provides facility owners, specifiers, de- signers, and contractors with recom- mendations on types of lighting and illu- mination levels for areas where indus- trial coating operations are taking place. The guide contains descriptions of vari- ous types of lighting necessary when spe- cific hazards and operating conditions are present, as well as recommendations for illumination levels when performing specific tasks such as surface preparation, coating application, and inspection. The guide also includes recommendations for levels of illumination in general work areas and in project staging areas, where physical risks such as trip hazards or large moving equipment exist. The principal substantive revisions are t h e r e s u l t o f t h e w i t h d r a w a l o f ANSI/IES RP 7, Practice for Industrial Lighting. This standard was the source for the recommendations in tables in the guide. Because no direct replacement for ANSI/IES RP 7 exists, the reference has been deleted and replaced with a refer- ence to the State of Illinois Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, 2012. A new category (Project Staging Areas [large objects, trip/fall hazards, operating or moving support equipment]) has been added based on committee recommendations. Conferences March RadTech Annual Winter Meeting 2017: March 1-2. Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport Waterfront, San F r a n c i s c o , C a l i f . S p o n s o r e d b y RadTech International. Contact R a d T e c h a t 2 4 0 / 4 9 7 - 1 2 4 2 ; f a x 240/209-2340; uveb@radtech.org; www.radtech.org. AeroDef Manufacturing 2017: March 6-9. Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, Tex. Co-located with Com- posites Manufacturing. Sponsored by SME. Contact SME at 313/425-3000; fax 313/425-3400; service@sme.org; www.aerodefevent.com. CEMA 2017 Annual Meeting: March 10-14. Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix, Ariz. Sponsored by the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA). Contact CEMA at 239/514-3441; kim@cemanet.org; www.cemanet.org. Middle East Coatings Show 2017 Dubai: March 13-15. Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emi- rates. Organized by the Coatings Group. Contact Chris Hamilton at +011-44-1737-855-109; christo pherhamilton@dmgeventsme.com; www.coatingsgroup.com. ASNT 26th Annual Research Sympo- sium: March 13-16. Hyatt Regency UPDATE:Events f fil face Profile Measure Sur ument With One Instr And Coating Thickness and repeatable more is probe face profile the NEW digital sur h t i w paired Series FMP s Fischer's ficient than other methods ef p p ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ ƒ thickness probes coating Easily interchangeable with Automatic maximum results replaceable Rugged probe tip is field before coating faces of blasted sur Assessment B and other standards according to ASTM D4417 Method Measure peak-to-valley distances .com -technology.com info@fischer .com -technology.com .fischer www (860)683-0781 esting Material T e Nanoindentation Material Analysis Coating Thickness