OSHA requires every employer to have an effective, ongoing safety program. At best, most painting contractors have the required minimum paperwork (e.g., a Hazcom policy, MSDS for paints, etc.) and-hopefully-conduct weekly jobsite safety talks as a means of training employees. However, it is very doubtful that most painting contractors utilize a pro-active approach to reducing workplace risks. Why?
The crux of the problem is that most painting contractors wear many hats in their business: estimator, bill collector, project manager, safety officer. Obviously, each hat is important, each hat requires time, and each hat has its priority at a given point. Acquiring painting work, managing it effectively, and ensuring prompt payment are the most important hats the painting contractor wears. Day after day, week after week, wearing all these hats becomes a test of human endurance. And so, more often than not, safety is put on autopilot until one of two events happen: 1.) Someone is hurt on the job. 2.) OSHA inspects a painting contractor's jobsite.