Instruction Manual

2-4 Safety
2.4.4 High-Pressure Fluids
High-pressure fluids, unless they are safely contained, are extremely hazardous. Always relieve fluid
pressure before adjusting or servicing high-pressure equipment. A jet of high-pressure fluid can cut like a
knife and cause serious bodily injury, amputation, or death. Fluids penetrating the skin can also cause
toxic poisoning.
If you suffer a fluid injection injury, seek medical care immediately. If possible, provide a copy of the
MSDS for the injected fluid to the health care provider.
The National Spray Equipment Manufacturers Association has created a wallet card that you should carry
when you are operating high-pressure spray equipment. These cards are supplied with your equipment.
The following is the text of this card:
WARNING: Any injury caused by high-pressure liquid can be serious. If you are injured or
even suspect an injury:
• Go to an emergency room immediately.
• Tell the physician that you suspect an injection injury.
• Show the physician this card.
• Tell the physician what kind of material you were spraying.
MEDICAL ALERT – AIRLESS SPRAY WOUNDS: NOTE TO PHYSICIAN
Injection in the skin is a serious traumatic injury. It is important to treat the injury
surgically as soon as possible. Do not delay treatment to research toxicity. Toxicity is
a concern with some exotic coatings injected directly into the bloodstream.
Consultation with a plastic surgeon or a reconstructive hand surgeon may be
advisable.
The seriousness of the wound depends on where the injury is on the body, whether
the substance hit something on its way in and deflected causing more damage, and
many other variables including skin microflora residing in the paint or gun, which are
blasted into the wound. If the injected paint contains acrylic latex and titanium dioxide
that damage the tissue’s resistance to infection, bacterial growth will flourish. The
treatment that doctors recommend for an injection injury to the hand includes
immediate decompression of the closed vascular compartments of the hand to
release the underlying tissue distended by the injected paint, judicious wound
depravement, and immediate antibiotic treatment.