Does anyone out there have or run a UV screen printing shop? We use UV inks and screen print every day. I have a question concerning screen cleaning? How strict are you on having employees wear the proper safety equipment? What cleaning chemicals are you using. I would love to hear from someone that has this kin of shop.
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UV Screen Printing Question?
- Thread starter Tagdog
- Start date
gregwallace
New Member
Vinyl gloves and sometimes protective eyeware if spraying the chemicals on. And clean those uv screens good. That ink can be very messy since it doesnt dry.
The reason I ask is, do you make your employees wear the protective gear? I never have in the past and I find that many refuse to wear gloves or eye protection. I have an one employee that gets skin irritation so he wears the protective gear we provide. What happens when we get an employee that does not wear it even though it's provided and gets a skin rash? Am I liable if I do not FORCE them to wear the protective gear but only provide it?
J Hill Designs
New Member
put up a workplace safety poster that outlines the usage of PPE
Ask the suppliers of the chemicals and/or look in the product safety sheets.
Write in the employees's contracts that you provide safety gear and instructions, and that is is the employee's responsibility to use the gear properly. Let them sign it.
In my opinion this is the best you can do
However i don't know if you still are responsable if something happens, that probably depends on you local laws
particleman
New Member
You should be asking your lawyer and or possibly insurance company that question but most likely yes.
knucklehead
New Member
Not likely, but what if OSHA walked in one day? Or, a customer, that just happens to work at OSHA, and just happens to notice your employee being un-safe?
I would think minimum gloves, and eye protection, would be mandatory, like it, or not.
I would think minimum gloves, and eye protection, would be mandatory, like it, or not.
FireSprint.com
Trade Only Screen & Digital Sign Printing
THERE IS NO REASON FOR ANYONE NOT TO WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES WHEN SPRAYING SCREEN CLEANING CHEMICALS AND USING PRESSURE WASHERS.
MAKE YOUR PEOPLE WEAR THEM AND BE SURE TO WEAR THEM YOURSELF.
This is a serious injury just waiting to happen.
MAKE YOUR PEOPLE WEAR THEM AND BE SURE TO WEAR THEM YOURSELF.
This is a serious injury just waiting to happen.
FireSprint.com
Trade Only Screen & Digital Sign Printing
Safety First!
Now that I got that out of the way, you are ABSOLUTELY liable for workplace injury. You might be able to fall back on gross negligence, but that's not likely. Your employee would have to basically been seen on camera hitting you when you ask her to put on PPE.
To put it another way, let's just say you're screen cleaner does get hurt while on the job, getting chemicals in their eyes for example. What would you do? Of course you would immediately drive them to the hospital, or call some kind of emergency service for them. At that point, are you going to leave them with the bill? I doubt it. So even if you don't get sued, you're still liable.
It's this kind of crap that makes my blood boil. Take care of the people who work for you and make sure they are as safe as you can make them. Employers who don't care screw it up for the rest of us and the darn government comes in and regulates everything after that!
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We require safety goggles and respirators (masks) when using screen cleaning chemicals and during several other potentially hazardous situations. It's not negotiable. Be an @$$hole about it if you have to. Better to be a jerk than to have someone get hurt 100% of the time.
We have a no-nonsense policy on safety. Any reasonable request for safety equipment is honored. If someone wants a $40 pair of eye protection, we'll get it - as long as they wear it. It's the one line item that there is no reasonable budget for. If it comes down to it, I'll take a pay cut that month.
Now that I got that out of the way, you are ABSOLUTELY liable for workplace injury. You might be able to fall back on gross negligence, but that's not likely. Your employee would have to basically been seen on camera hitting you when you ask her to put on PPE.
To put it another way, let's just say you're screen cleaner does get hurt while on the job, getting chemicals in their eyes for example. What would you do? Of course you would immediately drive them to the hospital, or call some kind of emergency service for them. At that point, are you going to leave them with the bill? I doubt it. So even if you don't get sued, you're still liable.
It's this kind of crap that makes my blood boil. Take care of the people who work for you and make sure they are as safe as you can make them. Employers who don't care screw it up for the rest of us and the darn government comes in and regulates everything after that!
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We require safety goggles and respirators (masks) when using screen cleaning chemicals and during several other potentially hazardous situations. It's not negotiable. Be an @$$hole about it if you have to. Better to be a jerk than to have someone get hurt 100% of the time.
We have a no-nonsense policy on safety. Any reasonable request for safety equipment is honored. If someone wants a $40 pair of eye protection, we'll get it - as long as they wear it. It's the one line item that there is no reasonable budget for. If it comes down to it, I'll take a pay cut that month.
FireSprint.com
Trade Only Screen & Digital Sign Printing
The Chemicals we Use
We have had special blends mixed for us which we find saves us money and works better. Generally we buy our chemicals by the 55gal drum. Depending on what your sanitation dept. allows will weigh in on the chemicals you use.
Screen cleaning UV screen inks has got to be our biggest production challenge day to day. I'm not sure we've ever had a day without a reburn. On a good day, 1 in 20 will need to be reburned, on a bad day it could be as many as 5-8 in 20.
We started with KIWO 808 and 508 and worked out way around from there. There is a huge advantage to getting all your chemicals from one supplier that know what they are doing. A big issue in the screen printing world that the digital world doesn't face as badly is that there are so many chemicals and products that come into play to actually run a print. The cleaning chemical producers will blame the ink guys, the ink guys will blame the screen manufacturers, the screen guys blame the emulsion guys and the emulsion guys blame the squeegee guys. (I left out about 10 paths). If you get most of that stuff from the same place, it's harder to pass the buck on.
Good luck, and for the love of God please keep you people safe, even if they think they know better.
We have had special blends mixed for us which we find saves us money and works better. Generally we buy our chemicals by the 55gal drum. Depending on what your sanitation dept. allows will weigh in on the chemicals you use.
Screen cleaning UV screen inks has got to be our biggest production challenge day to day. I'm not sure we've ever had a day without a reburn. On a good day, 1 in 20 will need to be reburned, on a bad day it could be as many as 5-8 in 20.
We started with KIWO 808 and 508 and worked out way around from there. There is a huge advantage to getting all your chemicals from one supplier that know what they are doing. A big issue in the screen printing world that the digital world doesn't face as badly is that there are so many chemicals and products that come into play to actually run a print. The cleaning chemical producers will blame the ink guys, the ink guys will blame the screen manufacturers, the screen guys blame the emulsion guys and the emulsion guys blame the squeegee guys. (I left out about 10 paths). If you get most of that stuff from the same place, it's harder to pass the buck on.
Good luck, and for the love of God please keep you people safe, even if they think they know better.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
First of all, if you are a one-man-shop, don't worry about it. You're responsible for yourself and yourself only. Who gives a r@t's a$$ what happens to you ?? 
Once you have an employee, you should have a company policy in place outlining all of this and what happens when they act differently then specified. All employees are given a company policy and handbook to read and must understand the rules of operation. Failure to do so will result in basically immediate expulsion. Failure to follow rules of safety is not something you get second or third chances. If you are seen without goggles or whatever equipment needed to perform a particular job..... you're looked at, and made to fix it on the spot or you're done. I won't even let someone wear T-shirts or loose fitting shirts around saws or other equipment which has some vacuum or wind force behind it. Accidents happen, but there's no need to be Mr Macho and I go to jail, pay some hefty fines or have to wrestle with it the rest of my life for your stoopidity.
Your shop..... your rules. Either they follow them or hit the pike.
Now, make sure your rules are correct in accordance with OSHA, reasonable and not some jacked-up form of head-games. I've seen and heard of owner's going overboard with authority, too.
Once you have an employee, you should have a company policy in place outlining all of this and what happens when they act differently then specified. All employees are given a company policy and handbook to read and must understand the rules of operation. Failure to do so will result in basically immediate expulsion. Failure to follow rules of safety is not something you get second or third chances. If you are seen without goggles or whatever equipment needed to perform a particular job..... you're looked at, and made to fix it on the spot or you're done. I won't even let someone wear T-shirts or loose fitting shirts around saws or other equipment which has some vacuum or wind force behind it. Accidents happen, but there's no need to be Mr Macho and I go to jail, pay some hefty fines or have to wrestle with it the rest of my life for your stoopidity.
Your shop..... your rules. Either they follow them or hit the pike.
Now, make sure your rules are correct in accordance with OSHA, reasonable and not some jacked-up form of head-games. I've seen and heard of owner's going overboard with authority, too.