Workplace hazards are present in almost every industry, and the printing industry is no exception. A press operator faces many dangers at work every day. One of the greatest is the 如果使用钢制刀片，他的手有可能被严重割伤. He is exposed to being cut anytime he’s handling them – installing or removing them from the press, cleaning them, disposing them and when changing end seals. The blades are especially dangerous when being replaced – their edges become honed through contact with the anilox roll as they wear, leaving razor-sharp tips that can cause serious cuts.
幸运的是，打印机有多种选择，可以在不影响打印质量的情况下降低或消除钢刮刀的伤害风险。
佩戴个人防护设备
正确佩戴防割手套可以防止操作员在使用钢刀时受伤。然而，美国劳工统计局 2012 年的数据显示，约有 1.5 万名工人在使用钢刀时受伤。 70% 的手部工伤发生在没有佩戴手套的工人身上. The remaining 30% are wearing gloves at the time of the accident, but the gloves are inadequate, damaged or the wrong type for the job. It goes to show, the steel doctor blade risk of serious lacerations to a press operator’s hands doesn’t just go away with wearing protective gloves.
制定职业健康与安全计划
Companies with safety and health management programs reduce their injury and illness costs by an estimated 20-40% according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In fact, an ASSE white paper by OSHA’s Office of Regulatory Analysis suggests that companies that implement effective safety and health programs can expect a return of $4 to $6 for every $1 invested. These programs lead to improved productivity and employee well-being in addition to reducing injury-related direct and indirect costs. Training employees and documenting handling procedures can also be beneficial in reducing the doctor blade risk of lacerations. In the pressroom, operators should be taught how to minimize their exposure to the risks from steel doctor blades by following standard protocols – for example by keeping blades in their protective packaging until they are ready to be installed and not changing blades on a machine while it’s running.
改用塑料刮刀片
The above options will certainly lower the risk of getting cut by steel blades but switching to plastic doctor blades will completely eliminate this doctor blade risk. Plastic materials are inherently softer and less sharp than steel. Even when plastic blades are worn, their edges are not sharp enough to cut a press operator.
Unlike in the past, a printer producing high-quality graphics now has the option of choosing a plastic blade for its safety benefits. Next generation polymer blades with MicroTip® technology can compete with the metering performance of steel in even the most demanding graphics applications while retaining the safety benefits of traditional plastic.
使用 MicroTip® 的新一代聚合物
Today’s advanced polymer material is stiffer than traditional plastic and can support a precisely engineered MicroTip edge. This tip design allows the blade to achieve and maintain a fine contact area with the anilox roll 媲美钢刀. Next generation polymer blades are able to effectively meter line screens up to 2000 LPI or 785 L/cm and produce graphics of the highest quality. The MicroTip has a long and steady wear period which reduces the frequency of blade changes and delivers consistent ink film thickness for the duration of the print job.
Today’s printers have more options than ever to improve workplace safety. Protective gear and safety programs will no doubt reduce the risk of injuries from steel doctor blades. But if you want to completely eliminate these injuries, then completely eliminate steel blades from your pressroom. Switch to next generation polymer blades and get the best of both worlds – high performance metering and safety.
敬请期待我们的 "安全使用聚合物刮刀"博客系列第三部分--"冲压车间里最锋利的刮刀"。
Part 1: “Numbers That Add Insults to Doctor Blade Injuries“ – Read about the frequency of hand injuries in the workplace and their impact on a company’s bottom line
