The new Festool Planex long-reach sander

Healthy work – relax and breathe

Effective health protection with the right system

Health and safety in the workplace is often neglected, especially in smaller companies. They lack the time, staff, knowledge and awareness to tackle this issue. At the same time, safe and healthy work is fundamental for individual workers and for the company as a whole. We asked three experts why health and safety in the workplace should be the most important consideration in every painting company. We have also compiled ways to protect your health easily and effectively in any situation with a perfectly coordinated dust extraction system.

You’ve just finished the workday and then you notice an annoying little detail that you would rather just cut away or sand off. Your tool is still at hand, but your work gloves and safety glasses have already been tidied away. It’s a typical scenario where for one brief moment you put your health at risk. After all, it’s only a quick little job. It’s a hassle to pull out your safety equipment again. And plus, experienced craftsmen are all doing it this way. All of these three arguments fall flat when a chip flies into your eye or your thumb gets cut.

Three experts who know the score

Health and safety awareness in the workplace is a tedious but highly relevant topic – especially in small companies. The numbers confirm it. According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), health and safety approaches in the workplace are "often inadequate" and staff in micro and small businesses are at higher risk of work-related accidents and illnesses. The consequences are clear – after all, even just one accident can bring the entire business to a halt. It sounds drastic, but that is the reality. Alexander Hoste, Rolf Stelzle and Philipp Stahl know what’s really happening in painting companies. As an occupational health and safety expert, Hoste visits lots of businesses. Stelzle is the owner of a painting company that employs ten people. And Stahl, himself a master painter, works as an application technician at Festool, looking for ways his company can help painters improve the health, safety and cleanliness of their work as best as possible.

"Every euro invested in health and safety in the workplace pays off double. In small companies in particular, injuries and illnesses can represent existential threats."

Alexander Hoste, occupational health and safety expert

Healthy, safe and simply a matter of course

"Having healthy employees is the basic prerequisite for running a healthy business," Stelzle says. "That’s why health and safety in the workplace should be simply a matter of course, so much a part of the standard operating procedure that you don’t even have to think about it." His company does not have a health and safety manager, like the bigger operations have. As the company owner, he himself plays that role. "The nice thing about it is that our employees themselves greatly value healthy work," Stelzle explains. "They don't sand without dust masks. They never leave the building without a dust extraction system. They always strap up when working at dangerous heights. And they are proactive about talking to me when they need something."

Work healthy and stay healthy in the long term

Workers in the construction industry are known to be one of the professional groups most at risk. But that does not mean that increased "occupational risk" is a necessary evil and these workers just have to hope that nothing goes wrong. Health protection calls for a recognition that no one is bulletproof – anyone can be injured on the job. And it is worth paying attention to, because it pays off in the long run. And how do you get small companies to be more proactive when it comes to health and safety in the workplace? "I think you have to make it clear that it is not just about rules and regulations that someone just thought up on a whim – it’s about people," Rolf Stelzle explains. "My employees are my most important asset. Without them, I would have to shut down operations. That's why it’s important to me that they work healthy and stay healthy in the long term."

Improved health. Less downtime.

Health and safety in the workplace are not only neglected in the painting trade, and the consequences are generally underestimated. The facts speak for themselves.

Why workers in the industry miss work for health reasons
33.5% musculoskeletal disorders
17.2% injuries and poisoning
14.5% respiratory illnesses (IKK classic Report 2018, Germany)

Worldwide, one worker dies every five minutes as a result of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), UK

Investing 100 euros in health and safety in the workplace brings beneficial returns of 220 euros in the long term. This was shown by a two-year long-term study in 16 countries. (Justus Liebig University Giessen and Institute for Work and Health of the German Social Accident Insurance)

50.8% of missed workdays in the industry can be attributed to long-term illnesses (over 42 days). (IKK classic Report 2018, Germany)

Protect yourself

Safe and healthy work starts with the right protective work gear.

Safety glasses...

...offer a perfect view while protecting your eyes from dust particles, chips or liquid spray of all types. Wearing safety glasses is recommended especially when sanding and painting overhead.

Dust masks...

...prevent dust or aerosols from getting into your airways during sanding or painting. Half masks with FFP filters are recommended, which protect against inert dust (FFP1), harmful particles (FFP2) and toxic emissions (FFP3).

Work gloves...

...protect your most important tool: Your hands. They come in a range of materials, such as cotton, leather, PVC and nitrile. They should be cut, tear and puncture-resistant. Installation gloves are more flexible and have a better grip, so you can keep a firm grasp of your tool.

Safety shoes...

...are indispensable on the building site. Safety shoes have toe caps (safety class 1), are waterproof (safety class 2) and also have a puncture-resistant sole (safety class 3).

Dust-free work with a system

Dust is a nuisance when it limits your visibility as you work or clogs the tools and machines. But it’s truly dangerous when it gets into a painter’s airways, where it can cause the most damage. There are excellent dust extraction systems to prevent it from ever getting that far. These systems suck up the dust right where it appears and keep it locked away until it can be cleanly disposed of.

Healthy working with a system with Festool

Closed system

Mobile dust extractor + SELFCLEAN filter bag (single-use, seal with the cardboard closure on the filter bag and then dispose of it).

›› Especially on building sites or when sanding with wood dust, it is important to observe the dust category of the mobile dust extractor.

›› For extracting normal amounts of dust, such as when using manual sanders.

›› High-quality non-woven filter bag, cleans dust deposits inside the filter bag automatically; optimum utilisation of filter bag capacity and consistently high suction power thanks to SELFCLEAN filter bag; secure connection to the antistatic suction hose with connector sleeve and rotating adapter.

Open system

Mobile dust extractor with AUTOCLEAN filter cleaning + disposal bag made of plastic (single-use, seal with the supplied cable tie and then dispose of it).

›› When working with mineral dust, using a dust extractor with dust category M is necessary.

›› For extraction of large amounts of dust, especially when using long-reach sanders and renovation millers.

›› The AUTOCLEAN automatic filter cleaning function ensures constant, powerful suction (the filter is cleaned even more thoroughly thanks to the extreme vacuum); the plastic disposal bag allows for low-dust disposal.

Dust protection tips for professional painters

Clean is better. More importantly, it’s healthier. For humans and machines. We know all that. And while there are always reasons not to bother with dust extraction, there are even more reasons to look after your health at work. It doesn’t take much to make dust-free work an easy part of your everyday job. Just follow a few rules and rely on a perfectly coordinated dust extraction system.

An overview of the most important aspects

Wear a dust mask and safety glasses
For total safety, it is a good idea to wear a dust mask when removing substrates that produce heavy dust or when working with materials that are especially harmful to health. Safety glasses protect your eyes from flying dust particles and chips.

Ensure connection is secure
Every weak point risks your health. That’s why it’s essential to ensure that the connection between your tool and the hose is secure and that the hose in turn is securely connected to the dust extractor (and has the correct diameter).

Use low-dust procedures
Avoid creating dust clouds even when mixing fillers, using the new MX extractor, for example.

Use consumables as intended
The condition of the abrasive has a significant effect on the dust extraction. during sanding. The system can only achieve optimal suction power with a good abrasive.

Choose a suitable dust extractor
It is important to choose a mobile dust extractor with a dust category that is appropriate for the material being worked on. The kinds of dust generated can be divided into three categories: L, M and H.

Vacuum dust
Clean your workspace regularly. Vacuuming is much more effective and targeted than sweeping or blowing away dust or chips.