Class Code 4558
Paint, Varnish Or Lacquer Mfg; Resin Mfg
Class Code 4558 applies to manufacturers that produce paints, varnishes, lacquers and chemical resins. If your California facility blends pigments, mills coatings, operates reactors or cans finished products, this code and its September 1, 2026 pure premium rate of $2.800 per $100 payroll are directly relevant to your workers' comp exposure.
What Class Code 4558 Covers
This classification covers industrial and architectural coatings and resin production operations performed in a manufacturing plant — not the contractors who apply paint in the field. Typical activities include raw-material handling and storage, pigment dispersion, solvent blending, high-speed milling, polymerization or resin reaction vessels, filling and canning lines, lab sampling and QC testing, equipment cleaning and waste handling. It includes employees who operate mixing kettles, mills, reactors, filling machines, and quality-control laboratories where formulations are tested. Excluded are retail sales of finished cans and on-site painting/applications performed by customers or separate painting contractors, which are classified elsewhere.
Who It Applies To
- Architectural and industrial paint and varnish manufacturers
- Proprietary resin manufacturers (epoxy, polyester, acrylic resins)
- Contract formulators and toll-mixers producing coatings or lacquer blends
- Plants operating pigment dispersion, milling, and high-shear mixing lines
- Canning, labeling and packaging facilities for coatings and resins
- Quality control labs testing viscosity, solids, and cure properties
Common Job Duties
- Measuring and weighing raw pigments, solvents, resins and additives
- Operating ball mills, high-speed dispersers, and homogenizers to disperse pigments
- Charging and monitoring reactors or kettles during polymerization or solvent blending
- Operating filling, sealing and labeling lines for cans, pails or drums
- Collecting and testing samples in laboratory and maintaining QC records
- Cleaning process equipment and handling solvent-contaminated rags and waste
- Maintaining ventilation, mixing tanks, pumps and mechanical equipment
Common Injury Risks
Understanding the $2.800 Rate
The approved pure premium rate of $2.800 per $100 of payroll represents the estimated expected loss cost for this classification before insurer expenses and adjustments. To calculate the pure premium, multiply your payroll for employees in class 4558 by 0.028; insurers then add expense provisions, state assessments, and apply your experience modification, schedule credits/debits and claim history to produce the final premium. Factors that can raise or lower what you actually pay include your claims record (EMR), safety and loss-control programs, segregation of high-risk operations, payroll classification accuracy, and carrier-specific audit results.
Cal/OSHA Compliance Requirements
Cal/OSHA requirements commonly applicable to paint, varnish and resin manufacturing include Hazard Communication (Title 8, Section 5194) with up-to-date SDSs and chemical labeling, Respiratory Protection (Section 5144) when exposures exceed PELs, and Airborne Contaminants/Permissible Exposure Limits (Section 5155) for solvents and dusts. Facilities may also be subject to Process Safety Management if they handle threshold quantities of flammable or reactive chemicals, and must maintain ventilation, explosion-proof electrical systems where required, emergency eyewash/showers, and documented training programs for hazardous chemicals and confined space entry.
How Key HR Helps Employers Under Class Code 4558
A PEO like Key HR can reduce workers' comp friction and cost for Class 4558 employers by combining robust loss-control services, claims advocacy and payroll accuracy. Key HR can implement HACCP-style process hazard reviews, manage respirator and hazcom programs, deliver targeted training (chemical handling, spill response, lockout/tagout), administer return-to-work programs, and leverage relationships with carriers to help improve experience modifiers and lower future premiums.
Get a QuoteFrequently Asked Questions
Are painters or contractors who apply coatings classified under 4558?
No. Class Code 4558 covers manufacturing operations — blending, milling and packaging. Field applicators, painting contractors and paperhangers are classified under separate codes for trade and service operations; payroll for those activities should be reported under the appropriate installer/applicator class.
What practical steps lower my workers' comp costs for paint and resin manufacturing?
Key steps include engineering controls and local exhaust ventilation to reduce VOC exposures, strict flammable-liquid storage and bonding/grounding, formal respiratory and PPE programs, documented training and SOPs, proactive housekeeping to prevent spills, and an early-return-to-work program to limit indemnity exposure. These actions reduce claim frequency and severity, improving your experience mod.
What records and training does Cal/OSHA expect for a coatings production line?
Maintain written Hazard Communication and respiratory protection programs, current Safety Data Sheets accessible to workers, documented exposure assessments and monitoring when needed, training records for chemicals and PPE, inspection and maintenance logs for ventilation and safety devices, and emergency response plans including spill containment and eyewash/shower testing.
Quick Facts
- Class Code
- 4558
- Classification
- Paint, Varnish Or Lacquer Mfg; Resin Mfg
- Pure Premium Rate
- $2.800 / $100 payroll
- Effective Date
- September 1, 2026
- Source
- WCIRB Approved Filing
Manage Workers' Comp Through a PEO
Key HR provides pay-as-you-go workers' comp for California employers — no large deposits, no audits, better rates.
Get a Quoteor call (800) 922-4133Ready to Simplify Workers' Comp for Class Code 4558?
Key HR provides California employers with pay-as-you-go workers' comp, HR compliance support, and payroll — all through one PEO partnership.