California Code of Regulations
Title 8 - Industrial Relations
Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations
Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety
Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders
Group 20 - Flammable Liquids, Gases and Vapors
Article 137 - Spray Coating Operations
Section 5455 - Electrostatic Hand Spraying Equipment

(a) This Section shall apply to any equipment using electrostatically charged elements for the atomization, charging and (or) precipitation of materials for coatings on articles, or for other similar purposes in which the atomizing device is hand-held and manipulated during the spraying operation.

(b) Electrostatic hand spray apparatus and devices used in connection with coating operations shall be of approved types. The high voltage circuits shall be designed so as to not produce a spark of sufficient intensity to ignite the most hazardous of those vapor-air mixtures likely to be encountered, nor result in appreciable shock hazard upon coming in contact with a grounded object under all normal operating conditions.

(c) The electrostatically charged exposed elements of the hand gun shall be capable of being energized only by an actuator which also controls the coating material supply.

(d) Transformers, high voltage supply, control apparatus, and all other electrical portions of the equipment shall be located outside of the spraying area or shall otherwise conform to the requirements of Section 5449.

EXCEPTION: The hand gun and its connections to the power supply.

(e) The handle of the spray gun shall be electrically connected to ground by a metallic connection and be so constructed that the operator in normal operating position is in intimate electrical contact with the grounded handle to prevent buildup of a static charge on the operator's body. Signs indicating the necessity for grounding other persons entering the spraying area shall be conspicuously posted.

Whenever gloves are worn by the operator during electrostatic hand spraying, the grounding contact between the operator and the grounded handle of the spray gun shall be maintained.

(f) All electrically conductive objects in the spraying area shall be grounded. This requirement shall apply to paint containers, wash cans and any other electrically conductive objects or devices in the area. The equipment shall carry a prominent permanently installed warning regarding the necessity for this grounding feature.

(g) Objects being coated shall be maintained in electrical contact with the conveyor or other grounded support. Hooks shall be regularly cleaned to insure this contact and areas of contact shall be sharp points or knife edges where possible. Points of support of the object shall be concealed from random spray where feasible and where the objects being sprayed are supported from a conveyor, the point of attachment to the conveyor shall be so located as to not collect spray material during normal operation.

(h) The electrical equipment shall be so interlocked with the ventilation of the spraying area that the equipment cannot be operated unless the ventilation fans are in operation.