Environmental regulations for the paint shop: VOC, environmental approval and supervision
The rules limiting solvents in paint and setting requirements for workshop design
Behind Every Painting Workshop Lies a Set of Rules Designed to Limit Solvent Emissions to the Air. The Rules Deal With Both Which Products May be Sold and Used, and How the Workshop Itself Should be Set Up and Operated. If You Don't Know the Framework, You Risk not Just Fines — You Also Risk a Poor Work Environment for Yourself.
§VOC decree — what does it regulate?
The Environmental Authority's ordinance on volatile organic compounds (VOC) in certain paints and varnishes and in products for vehicle refinishing sets limit values for how much solvent individual product types may contain. The regulations apply to products for pre-treatment, coating and post-treatment used for bodywork, repair and modification of a vehicle's paint after the car has left the factory — precisely the type of products an auto painter uses every day.
§When does the workshop require environmental approval?
Beyond the product rules themselves environmental legislation sets requirements for workshops if their consumption of organic solvents exceeds a certain level. According to the Environmental Protection Agency an auto repair shop where organic solvent consumption exceeds around 6 kg per hour must seek environmental approval before lacquering work can be carried out.
- 01Requirements for the arrangement of spray booth and extraction
- 02Requirements for storage of chemicals and hazardous waste
- 03Requirements for self-check and documentation of consumption
- 04Requirements to limit emissions to the surrounding environment
§Therefore the industry moved toward water-based lacquer
The tightened requirements on solvent emissions are one of the main reasons why the industry over the years has moved from classic solvent-based lacquers to water-based base lacquers as described in the article on the trade's history. Water replaces a large part of the solvent in the base lacquer which both limits emissions and improves the working environment — but it places demands on the cabin's ventilation and on the technique the painter uses to get the coat to dry properly.
| Ruleset | What it's about |
|---|---|
| VOC decree | Limits for solvent content in paint products for auto repair |
| Environmental approval for car workshops | Requirements for workshops with solvent consumption above a certain limit |
| Isocyanate training requirement | Requirements for a training certificate before working with isocyanate-containing products |
| Safety data sheets | Information about each product's hazards and necessary precautions |
§Your responsibility as a painter
Even though it is the company that seeks environmental approval and has formal responsibility to the authorities it is the individual painter who in practice ensures the booth is used correctly waste is sorted and solvent consumption is kept down. Environmental rules are therefore not just something management deals with — it is part of daily professionalism.
“Environmental regulations are not written to annoy the craft — they are written because the same substance that damages the air also damages the painter's lungs.”