Occupational Hazards

Every occupation has its own hazards. One should take adequate and proper precautions to save
himself. To have proper safety and precautionary measures against occupational hazards is the
fundamental right of all workers. The constitution of India gives immense priority to the
occupational hazards and its safety. In India, a huge number of people die in accidents and
diseases. In India, a huge number of people die in occupational accidents and diseases. More than
two million lives die due to these occupational hazards every year in the whole world.

Definition

Danger to health, limb, or life that is inherent in, or is associated with, a particular occupation,
industry, or work environment. Occupational hazards include risk of accident and of contracting
occupational diseases.

Oil paints are made from ground pigments suspended in oil. A pigment is a colored material
that can come from a variety of sources. Manufacturers select artist oils based on their
stability and drying times. Artist oils are refined to remove impurities, and are mixed with
individual pigments to form oil paints. Early artists made their own oil-based paints. Dry
powdered pigments are available in art stores for those artists who prefer to mix their own
blends.

Paint History

1. Prehistoric artists used clay dug from the earth or charcoal from burnt
wood mixed with water or other liquids to make paint. Both the sources and
suspension mediums of pigments evolved over many centuries as artists
sought to improve the stability and color range of materials. Oil paints were
first developed in the 15th century. Artists sought out new materials that dried
slower than the tempera paint used at the time. By the 1600s, many artists
used oil paints.

Natural Sources

2. Early pigments came from natural sources. Many pigments were literally
earth-colored. Yellow ochre originated from clay earth that contained a
yellowish mineral called goethite. Red-tinted iron oxides mixed with clay
made red ochre. Raw umber also came directly from the ground.

Artists made blue indigo pigment from the indigo plant's leaves. Madder plant
(Rubia tintorum) roots gave madder lake paint its signature crimson hue.
Certain beetles released crimson color when crushed, and the ground bugs
colored carmine lake pigments. Modern synthetic substitutes have replaced
many of the old pigment sources.
 Synthesized Pigments

3. Many consider Prussian blue pigment, first discovered around 1724 during
experiments with oxidizing metals, to be the first modern pigment. A chemical
method of creating crimson color in 1868 replaced madder root. Chemically
synthesized pigments such as cadmium yellow or red appeared in the early
20th century. Titanium white, developed in the 1920s, has excellent opacity
and stability. The pigment is used in toothpastes and cosmetics as well as oil
painting.

Suspension Oils

4. Artists and manufacturers usually use linseed oil when they blend
pigments into paint. Refined linseed oil allows paints to dry slowly and avoid
cracking. The oil is stable; it does not break down over time, and does not
yellow with age. Poppyseed oil is another artist oil. It is completely colorless
and useful for preserving the luminance of pale pigments. Walnut oil is good
for blending, but is used less frequently as it is costly to manufacture.

Mixing and Testing

5. All ancient artists mixed their own paints, and some contemporary painters
also make their own blends. The process of creating oil paint is similar to
mixing wet and dry ingredients in cooking. Place a pile of dry pigment on a
sturdy glass or other smooth, non-reactive surface. Poke a hole in the center
of the mound and add oil slowly into the hole. Use an artist's palette or
spatula to smear together the dry and wet ingredients. Add enough oil so the
paint has the consistency of butter. Factories mass-produce oil paints using
similar techniques.

Store-bought paints have good consistency from one tube to the next.
Manufacturers test the paints for light fastness and acceptable texture.
Bargain varieties of oil paints have less pigment and more oil in a tube.
Although the paint tube costs less, the artist ends up needing more paint and
the savings vanish.

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in
a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the
addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to
increase the glossiness of the dried film. Oil paints have been used in Europe since the
12th century for simple decoration, but were not widely adopted as an artistic medium
until the early 15th century. Common modern applications of oil paint are in finishing
and protection of wood in buildings and exposed metal structures such as ships and
bridges. Its hard-wearing properties and luminous colors make it desirable for both
interior and exterior use on wood and metal. Due to its slow-drying properties, it has
recently been used in paint-on-glass animation. Thickness of coat has considerable
bearing on time required for drying: thin coats of oil paint dry relatively quickly.

Who is a paint & lacquer manufacturing worker?

A paint and lacquer manufacturing worker operates and controls equipment and
installations that make and mix organic substances, solvents and pigments to
produce lacquers and synthetic paints according to formulas and work order
specifications.

What is dangerous about this job?

• Exposure to vapours of solvents, paints and lacquers can cause irritation and
damage to eyes and mucous membranes, to the respiratory and digestive
tracts, and to the skin. Exposure to organic substances (toluene, n-hexane,
methylalcohol etc.) may cause damage to the nervous system.
• Skin exposure through contact with solvents and various components of
paints, esp. with aromatic hydrocarbons and organic halogen compounds can
cause dermatitis. Hazard of dermatitis or eczema when working with
pigments that contain chrome and cobalt, or due to contact with azo-dyes and
aniline dyes.
• Exposure to pigment dust (PM10) during grinding and mixing, while preparing
the paints.
• Exposure to organic substances may cause allergic reactions such as irritation
of the respiratory tract and of the eyes and the skin.
• Hazard of explosion, due to presence of extremely fine organic dust in the air
during grinding or mixing of organic pigments while preparing paints.
• Discomfort and physiological problems related to the use of malodorous
organic substances throughout the manufacturing process of the dyes and the
lacquers, and from the finished products.

Hazards related to this job

Slips and falls on the level on slippery floors

• Injuries caused by falling packages of paint, lacquer, and solvents during

transportation, or during storage and unloading

Capture of clothes in the grinding and mixing equipment while preparing dyes