Arro-Mark Company Logo
1-888-440-2776

What are some safety tips when using markers in the workplace?

VOC's, Flammability, Irritability, and other concerns. How we suggest handling them, how to be aware in the workplace, and how to be aware when choosing a product for the workplace.

Under normal general use, marking pens are 100% safe to use.

Arro-Mark® manufactures and supplies markers to industrial clients. Most of our end-users are using the pens in the work place and are beheld to high standards in hazardous materials labeling, signage, and disclosure. Arro-Mark® Company ships it's products according to the highest standards of disclosure of the hazardous materials. When compared to the competition, Arro-Mark® goes the extra mile to disclose on their packaging and on their labeling the information needed to keep our products usable in the workplace.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile Organic Compounds (or VOC's) are materials that need to be listed cumulatively in the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) under section 9. When these materials break down, they pose health and environmental risks to air quality. Facilities that deal with large amounts of these chemicals dedicate a lot of resources to documenting and measuring VOC's in their environment. These places deal with enormous quantities of chemicals on a daily basis. Our facility and the marking pens we create pose minute, and in most cases, undetectable VOC concerns. Regardless of the danger or environmental impact these fumes impose, we are still required to list VOC contents of our products. Our pens are safe to use.

Flammability

Xylene is a bi-product of petroleum fuel production and is flammable. Alcohol has an even lower flash-point. In section 9 of our Safety Data Sheets, we list the flash-points pertaining to each product mixture. When encased in our industrial quality marking pens, the markers are thoroughly protected from outside dangers. Only prolonged exposure to direct flame will have any hope of igniting an encased marking pen. Even though these great lengths are taken to protect the contents of our pens, the flammability needs to be disclosed and is included in all our SDS paperwork and on our labeling.

Corrosiveness and Irritation

Xylene, MIBK, Alcohols, and some pigments and dyes are listed in our SDS and on our labelling as potential irritants to skin and corrosive to the eyes. Some dyes and pigments used in our paints and inks also show an Irritant pictogram on their Safety Data Sheets. Although you may see a corrosive pictogram on some of our labeling or Safety Data Sheets, we guarantee that our products are not corrosive to metals. Under general and proper use, a marking pen poses no danger in terms of corrosiveness to skin or eyes by way of splash-age or any other concern. We cannot guarantee the safety of products used improperly or outside the manufacturer recommended use.

Concerns when transporting or keeping paint or inks in Drums, Bottle, or Cans

Encased in a protective marking pen and confined to proper usage only, all aforementioned safety concerns are minimized. On the other hand, the same concerns mentioned before become exacerbated when keeping loose ink or paint in cans, bottles, and especially drums. This is because the risk of mishandling or spillage is higher. We always prefer to sell our products in the form of marking pens but occasionally have orders and a need to ship our paints and inks in loose containers. We go to every length necessary and beyond to ensure the safe transport and full disclosure of all handling instructions and hazardous materials concerns pertaining to each shipment.

Our conclusion and a comparison

For example, Uni-paint is a 100% xylene paint marker. They do not list the same concerns about Xylene that we do but they are able to be marketed to a wider audience because of their less alarming labeling. They also do not go to the hazardous materials documentation lengths that we do. They are sold around the world and people assume that their marker is completely safe because of the absence of warnings. Our xylene paint markers pose the same risks but since we sell to industrial clientelle, our disclosure and display of hazard warnings are more prominent since our pens are made to be used on job site and the work-place.

Sharpie for instance, and many others contain alcohols and other chemicals that you wouldn't want to be on the skin or expose to flame. These particular markers have made it into every office, stationary store, and school in the country. They have also been AP or Art Product Certified which excuses these products from needing any hazardous warnings on the product or safety data sheets.

The reality is that pictograms and warning statements scare away customers.

Our pens are no more dangerous or hazardous than the competition's but we remain dedicated to disclosing hazardous concerns to their full extent. It may hurt our sales being so thorough but we don't believe that is the most important concern for our customers who use our products in the workplace. Our quality control and safety precautions are unmatched industry-wide, market-wide, and world-wide.

Industries We Supply
Marking Surfaces
Blog Posts
Contact us to discuss your specific marking needs.
1-888-440-2776
© 2021 Arro-Mark® Company L.L.C.