Shops in the Pacific Northwest may be eligible to receive free training that the Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) says will improve painting efficiency, reduce waste, and save money on paint and materials costs.

PPRC works to reduce or prevent pollution through technical information, training, and services.

Federal grant funding received by the State of Washington Department of Ecology provides free training to businesses located in Region 10, which includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. PPRC also offers its training nationwide for a fee.

This course teaches best management practices to painters, through spray technique refinement to achieve improved transfer efficiency and build efficiency.

Participants learn on a 3D virtual reality system and by the end of the six-day training earn a five-year 6H National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) certification. Sessions can be recorded and individual painter reports generated.

An analysis by PPRC found that the training results in 22% improved transfer efficiency and can save $40,000 annually even with production increases.

PPRC has found the training can also result in lower permit and compliance costs and notes that less paint used means fewer health impacts from paint emissions for painters, other shop employees, and the surrounding community.

“Our tagline is ‘practical solutions for environmental and economic vitality’ and so savings is a big part of that,” said Ken Grimm, PPRC industry outreach coordinator. “There are places that really want to be more environmentally conscious, but for most businesses being environmentally conscious can only come with so much of a price and then they can’t afford to do it.”

More will be shared about the training program during the next Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) open board meeting on April 16 at 2 p.m. in Seattle.

Grimm can also be reached at kgrimm@pprc.org or  206-352-2050 ext. 102 for more information.

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