P2: Auto Body Shop

Auto body refinishers spend much of their time working with paints, solvents, and cleaners that are hazardous to worker health and to the environment. Pollution prevention offers auto body businesses an opportunity to reduce liability risks and costs. The EPA's partnership program Design for the Environment (DfE) Automotive Refinishing Partnership presents kits and checklists that auto body refinishers will find helpful for assessing their operations. The National Automotive Environmental Compliance Center has developed CCAR-GreenLink, a "walk-through" virtual body shop that provides alternatives and advice for reducing pollution from every shop process.

Two new tools:

Design for the Environment has developed a tool for calculating emissions reductions from pollution prevention and best management practices at collision repair shops.

DfE Best Practices Emissions Reduction Calculator

OSHA's new "SafetyPays" tool helps calculate the health benefits derived from best practices to reduce air toxics. (Example: to estimate the cost of respiratory and other illnesses.)
OSHA's Safety Pays Cost Estimator

Other great sources of technical advice are available from:

Pollution Prevention in Collision Repair (pdf), by Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Paint Preparation and Application Guide, from Peaks to Prairies P2 Center in Montana Autobody Shop Waste Reduction and Management, from Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
Coatings Guide (pdf), developed by RTI and the US Environmental Protection Agency
Environmentally Conscious Painting (pdf) developed by the Kansas Small Business Environmental Assistance Program

A detailed list of strategies and benefits to implementing a P2 plan for Auto Body refinishers is listed below.

Be sure to review the general information in P2 Business Basics.

return to P2 Business Sectors

Picture provided courtesy of CCAR-GreenLink