Your work. Your records.
Coating and Spraying Machine Operator Workplace Records
Coating work combines surface preparation, application and checks for visible defects. A workplace concern may involve a changed finish specification or instruction to continue production. Describe the step you controlled and the response to your report, without making conclusions about exposure or product failure from appearance alone.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Instruction version
Identify the coating or finish instruction in effect and when changes reached you.
Quality sequence
List the observed flaw, report recipient and response, separating later inspection conclusions.
Personal timeline
Connect setup and cleanup work with your own time records and employment feedback.
Start with the work you actually do
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (51-9124.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.Source task 23656 · updated 08/2022
- Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles.Source task 12522 · updated 08/2022
- Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings.Source task 23664 · updated 08/2022
- Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.Source task 23659 · updated 08/2022
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (SOC 51-9124). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $17.89 | $21.27 | $25.64 | $44,250 |
| Alaska | $21.73 | $33.61 | $39.23 | $69,910 |
| Arizona | $19.52 | $23.01 | $27.38 | $47,860 |
| Arkansas | $18.01 | $22.30 | $24.02 | $46,380 |
| Connecticut | $21.49 | $25.43 | $31.46 | $52,900 |
| Delaware | $17.97 | $22.17 | $30.06 | $46,120 |
| Florida | $19.23 | $23.01 | $28.47 | $47,860 |
| Georgia | $19.13 | $22.33 | $28.83 | $46,450 |
| Hawaii | $21.66 | $24.99 | $30.40 | $51,990 |
| Idaho | $19.05 | $22.03 | $24.57 | $45,810 |
| Indiana | $18.70 | $22.75 | $28.49 | $47,320 |
| Iowa | $21.25 | $23.72 | $28.44 | $49,330 |
| Kansas | $18.42 | $22.66 | $27.90 | $47,120 |
| Kentucky | $17.58 | $22.68 | $25.81 | $47,170 |
| Louisiana | $18.95 | $23.05 | $27.61 | $47,950 |
| Maine | $22.80 | $27.02 | $31.12 | $56,200 |
| Michigan | $18.42 | $21.48 | $25.64 | $44,670 |
| Minnesota | $22.33 | $25.10 | $30.05 | $52,210 |
| Mississippi | $21.00 | $25.56 | $30.37 | $53,170 |
| Missouri | $19.62 | $22.88 | $29.17 | $47,580 |
| Montana | $20.55 | $22.78 | $26.66 | $47,380 |
| Nebraska | $22.37 | $23.72 | $29.34 | $49,340 |
| New Hampshire | $22.04 | $23.27 | $27.97 | $48,410 |
| New Mexico | $18.38 | $21.99 | $24.06 | $45,730 |
| New York | $19.96 | $23.08 | $28.60 | $48,000 |
| North Carolina | $18.41 | $22.47 | $26.75 | $46,730 |
| North Dakota | $22.17 | $24.53 | $32.78 | $51,020 |
| Ohio | $20.49 | $23.34 | $27.86 | $48,550 |
| Oklahoma | $18.28 | $22.01 | $26.31 | $45,780 |
| Pennsylvania | $20.47 | $23.24 | $28.34 | $48,340 |
| Rhode Island | $19.85 | $23.97 | $29.25 | $49,850 |
| South Dakota | $19.51 | $23.07 | $25.63 | $47,980 |
| Tennessee | $19.17 | $22.70 | $26.74 | $47,210 |
| Texas | $18.33 | $22.48 | $27.97 | $46,750 |
| Utah | $19.10 | $23.02 | $27.02 | $47,880 |
| Vermont | $22.36 | $23.73 | $28.85 | $49,360 |
| Virginia | $22.00 | $23.98 | $30.50 | $49,880 |
| West Virginia | $18.23 | $20.65 | $24.37 | $42,950 |
| Wisconsin | $21.72 | $23.64 | $27.86 | $49,170 |
| Wyoming | $22.44 | $24.14 | $31.36 | $50,220 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Distinguish preparation from application
Record the material category, coating instruction and surface condition you were told to work with. Note a change in product or application direction and who approved it. Separate a flaw visible during spraying from one discovered after curing or inspection by another worker.
Document interruptions and requests
List cleaning, setup, material changes and waste-handling duties relevant to your own hours or performance question. Note equipment concerns and requests for assistance or supplies. Keep permitted employment messages and your response rather than assuming a production total captures all these tasks.
Keep formulas and safety records controlled
Do not remove coating formulations, customer specifications or restricted disposal records. Describe relevant document types and dates for review. Do not recreate spray conditions or collect samples to prove a workplace concern; retain your own training and report acknowledgments instead.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
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