Safety coatings are a smart bet

Most safety directors are all ears when you tell them that for what amounts to a drop in the bucket of their safety budget they can be making their facilities safer places to work. In fact, when we talk about safety coatings as a smart investment, the response we get the most often is something along the lines of “Yea. That makes sense.” And we agree.

Consider that according to OSHA, slips, trips and falls make up the majority of general industry accidents. They’re responsible for 15 percent of all accidental deaths, with only motor vehicle accidents causing more work-related fatalities. Safety coatings such as glow-in-the-dark urethanes and non-slip coatings are an easy, cost-efficient way to guard against slips and trips.

When do custom safety coatings make sense?

There are situations where non-slip coatings are mandated in general industry, shipyards, construction and marine settings, but the responsibility largely falls on safety-minded individuals to utilize safety coatings to their full potential. Forward-thinking safety professionals at power plants, refineries, manufacturing facilities and so on are recognizing the diversity of ways safety coatings can be put to use. Non-slip coatings on the tops of railcars and glow-in-the-dark coatings in the hulls of barges are examples of the expanding use of safety coatings.

Luminescent coatings

Facility managers are increasingly exploring the potential benefits of glow-in-the-dark (luminescent) coatings for industrial settings. Considering that some countries are testing them for their usefulness on highways, it makes sense that they be used to illuminate important pathways or obstructions in the workplace. These custom safety coatings can be used to illuminate pathways to exits if a power outage or other emergency forces an evacuation. By storing energy from lights during working hours, particles within the coating are able to glow for some time after the lights go out.

In order for these luminescent coatings to stand up to the harshness of an industrial setting, it’s important that they’re not any off-the-shelf paint. An interior paint with a glowing pigment inside will quickly wear out under stress. When formulated from more durable material such as a urethane, these coatings are able to withstand greater abuse.

While, gallon for gallon, non-slip and luminescents may cost more other coatings, it’s possible to do a lot with a little. Painting a curb, line, arrow or overhead obstruction ends up being a cost-effective safety measure. And when it comes to worker safety, it’s a small price to pay.

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Devising an industrial painting budget

There’s a lot to consider when managing an industrial facility. Regularly scheduled maintenance, repairs, coordinating with vendors, managing employees, the list is seemingly endless. Most of these tasks are line items on a budget. But regularly scheduled industrial painting is something that’s sometimes left out. This can lead to surprise costs and lost opportunities for savings.

For reasons we’ve talked about before, a coatings maintenance plan is essential to the overall health of your facility. This post should provide some factors to consider when devising an industrial painting budget. It’s by no means an exhaustive checklist, and consulting with an industry professional will always be your best bet for a comprehensive budget plan.

Factors that affect an industrial painting budget

A well-thought-out budget depends on a number of factors. The substrate being painted, and the stress that the coating is regularly exposed to will determine what sort of product is needed. If you’ve handled industrial painting decisions before, you may already have an understanding of what you need. But what if a less expensive product can meet your needs? What if a more expensive product will reduce costs in the long run?

Accessibility and containment are some site-specific factors that should be taken into account. Staging equipment, mechanical lifts or cranes will increase the amount that should be set aside for the project. Containment will be more important near schools and residential areas compared to industrial parks, which will be reflected in the overall cost of the project.

When it comes to choosing an applicator, options range from small startups to highly professional organizations that regularly undertake multi-million dollar projects. Which one you choose will depend on the size of your project, budget and whom you’ve worked with in the past. But project managers trying to save a few extra bucks on this phase of the project should be aware that improper surface preparation or a shoddy application can seriously shorten the lifespan of your coatings system.

Quality control and quality assurance are closely tied to contractor selection. A trusted applicator should be able to handle the QC, but the owner needs an effective QA specialist. If the organization doesn’t employ someone capable of performing these services, consider seeking outside help and carve out some space for it in the budget.

Finding efficiencies

Taking into account what you’re already doing is a smart way to go about planning an industrial painting budget. Could you create some efficiency in your existing coatings maintenance process to cut costs? Is your maintenance process strategically designed?

Take a project manager that applies a two-coat system every five years, for instance. Each time his asset, let’s call it a large storage tank, is repainted, he pays for labor, staging, containment, etc. The actual paint accounts for only a small portion of that budget, usually around ten percent of the total cost.

By spending five percent more and adding a third coat to the system, its service life can be extended for another five years. Even if labor for the additional coat adds a further five percent to the total cost of the project, the owner still realizes 90 percent savings by skipping the five-year recoat. Spending a little more on the product helps cut costs like labor and staging from your industrial painting budget.

Creating efficiency may also mean reexamining the product you’re using. Facility managers often purchase the same product over and over again, simply because that’s the way they’ve always done it. But investing in a more durable paint upfront may lead to painting less often, resulting in net savings on painting costs. Buying in bulk from a single supplier is also a great way of generating savings.

If you’re ready to speak with an expert about devising a painting budget, we’d be happy to discuss it with you. We’ll even pay your facility a visit, so we can provide the best possible advice for your coatings maintenance plan.

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