Bush panel beaters a health hazard

With unemployment being a big issue in the country, many enterprising people are doing illegal panel-beating work at operations known as ‘bush panel beaters’. These enterprises are popular with taxi drivers whose cars are often involved in accidents and need a quick and cheap repair job. Car owners without insurance also make use of their services if they can’t afford the more professional and established panel beaters. Other customers of these operations are criminals needing a quick paint job to disguise a stolen vehicle. Local physician Dr Susanna Horn says there is nothing wrong with starting a small business to make a living, but many of the informal panel beaters work in open areas without proper infrastructure and safety measures. This can be dangerous to the public and the environment, considering the toxic chemicals found in spray paint. Spray painting presents major health hazards from skin contact with or inhalation of chemicals, as well as a fire risk posed by highly flammable materials. “Exposure to concentrated spray paint fumes can lead to a shock on the central nervous system and suffocation in extreme cases, while longer-term effects can include occupational asthma, allergies, lung cancer, as well as damage to the reproductive system and even kidney or liver damage,” she said. Charlotte Odendaal of Rupping Bodyworks in Windhoek’s Southern Industrial Area agrees that a place where spray painting is done should have proper infrastructure and workers should have protective clothing and equipment for their own safety and that of others. “The area has to be enclosed to protect people and the surrounding environment from the dangers of paint fumes. Employers and employees in spray-painting operations need to recognise and guard against the hazard associated with spray-painting processes. “Today, many car manufacturers have shifted to water-based paint systems, which are safer, and we only use water-based paint in our workshops,” she said. Municipal health inspectors do random checks at panel-beating businesses to make sure that safety regulations are adhered to, she added. The fire brigade also does inspections to make sure that the drainage system works properly. This is something that bush panel beaters obviously don’t have and the chemicals end up in the environment. This is especially dangerous in the informal areas where people move around or children play nearby. Horn said the long-term effects of hazardous chemicals, such as lung cancer, might only be detected long after exposure. WINDHOEK NAMENE HELMICH