Aiming the spray gun by hand, they apply successive coats of paint until the finish of the repaired sections of the vehicle matches that of the original undamaged portions. To speed drying between coats, they may place the freshly painted vehicle under heat lamps or in a special infrared oven. After each coat of primer dries, they sand the surface to remove any irregularities and to improve the adhesion of the next coat. Final sanding of the primers may be done by hand with a fine grade of sandpaper. A sealer is then applied and allowed to dry, followed by the final topcoat.
Respirators protect painters from toxic fumes.
Working Conditions Painting and coating machine operators work indoors and may be exposed to dangerous fumes from paint and coating solutions. However, many operators wear masks or respirators that cover their nose and mouth, and painting is usually done in special ventilated booths that protect the operators from these hazards. Provisions of the Clean Air Act of 1990 regulate establishments' emissions of volatile organic compounds, including those from paints and other chemicals, thus decreasing the amount of hazardous fumes to which these workers are exposed. Operators have to stand for long periods of time and, when using a spray gun, they may have to bend, stoop, or crouch in uncomfortable positions to reach all parts of the article. Employment Painting and coating machine operators held about 151,000 jobs in 1992.